Latest / Calvary Chapel Devine, Texas Podcast / Women's Study "Taming the Giant: "Conquering Fear: Embracing Faith and Courage." with Teresa Petit

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Women's Study "Taming the Giant: "Conquering Fear: Embracing Faith and Courage." with Teresa Petit · Calvary Chapel Devine, Texas Podcast

• 0:00
  Okay. So fighting fear, it says, when do we start fear?
• 0:05
  And she goes through certain synopsis of ages, right?
• 0:09
  When we're younger, what we're exposed to as children, how our parents,
• 0:16
  you know, react to the things we're fearful of, right?
• 0:21
  Whether it's a monster we think it's under the bed or just how those things
• 0:27
  kind of imprint on us as children.
• 0:29
  And we carry on as adults. So she said some of us are more prone to fear and
• 0:36
  those fears can become irrational, right?
• 0:39
  And this is what we show as our children.
• 0:42
  Either a child is fearful of something and the parent comes in,
• 0:47
  reassures a child, you know, reassures it's going to be okay.
• 0:51
  Not everybody gets those wonderful parents. You may get the other parent that's
• 0:55
  yelling in the hallway, you know, there's no monsters there.
• 0:59
  It's okay. You're going to be fine. Go back to bed. Or you get the other one
• 1:03
  where a child knows nobody is going to respond. And I'm like,
• 1:08
  they just sit there silently in fear, you know?
• 1:11
  So all those things kind of impact fear in our lives and how we carry on.
• 1:19
  And and also they grow up
• 1:21
  feeling like you can't control anything that's
• 1:25
  what fear can do to us you know no control
• 1:28
  and it says causes traumatic experiences and and this can be up to our ages
• 1:34
  now you know dealing with trauma scare tactics used by others or a poor sense
• 1:41
  of worth family members who showed us, you know, they're constantly fearful.
• 1:47
  I know my mom was always fearful of getting cancer.
• 1:52
  She witnessed her, as a young child, she witnessed her mother,
• 1:55
  her grandmother, die of cancer.
• 1:59
  And then her mother passed away from cancer.
• 2:02
  So, and there were really rare cancers. One was in the eye and one was in the
• 2:08
  marrow, the jaw bone. So very rare, painful, you know, diseases.
• 2:14
  And so she was always afraid of that. So anytime she would get sick or have
• 2:18
  dental issues, it was always like, oh, I have cancer.
• 2:21
  Oh, and we grew up hearing these things. And it's like, ooh,
• 2:24
  you know, you kind of get that stuff rubs off on you.
• 2:28
  So and then she goes on, what is fear? So it's a strong emotional response to danger, right?
• 2:35
  And it's fight, flight, or freeze. And I love that God designed this for us.
• 2:42
  He created fear for us for his purposes.
• 2:47
  But it's like, I was telling my sister in the car, it's like the enemy always
• 2:51
  does a counterfeit or does something to twist to cause harm.
• 2:55
  What God creates or what God does, he's always trying to twist it and use it
• 3:00
  against us. And that's what he does with fear.
• 3:03
  So God created it for our good. You know, it's going to help us.
• 3:07
  You go out to pull out in the driveway or the car and you see a car coming,
• 3:13
  you're going to react automatically to help save you from getting into a major accident, you know?
• 3:18
  So it was a fear, but you respond right away.
• 3:21
  So it's good to help us, but it can become something bad when it's like a memory
• 3:28
  that triggers something that has traumatized us, right?
• 3:32
  And she uses this story of the stingray because she loves the ocean,
• 3:37
  loves the water. And I'm like, I identify with that. I love the water.
• 3:41
  You don't know if you can't see what's down there, you know,
• 3:44
  what you're going to step on. And of course, she gets stung by a stingray.
• 3:47
  And she's like, oh, well, you're never going to go out there, are you? Back again.
• 3:51
  And she's like, what do you mean, you know, having this conversation with a grandchild?
• 3:56
  She's like, but I love the water. You know, this, yes, I need to be careful.
• 4:01
  And so she goes back into the water more cautiously and being aware.
• 4:05
  But even then, if the water turns up, she gets stung. You know,
• 4:08
  it's like you go into it differently understanding, but still she went into the water.
• 4:15
  She's not going to let that joy that she has from being in the water keep her, you know.
• 4:20
  But sometimes we can. We can keep us from enjoying things because of something
• 4:27
  that happened. So it does happen.
• 4:32
  So, and she discusses childhood abuse or other traumas, you know,
• 4:37
  they actually sear our minds. And I'm like, man, that's so true.
• 4:42
  Something that's seared into our mind, that's like a permanent thing that sticks
• 4:48
  with us. There's scars that we have.
• 4:50
  But I love the Lord because He knows that God can heal us from anything, right?
• 4:57
  Even though that scar will still be visible there, it doesn't have to affect
• 5:02
  us in the same way as it did when it first happened.
• 5:06
  But she goes, how to fight it. This is the second part.
• 5:09
  She is discussing an incident she had
• 5:12
  with her teenage daughter who takes who runs
• 5:15
  out of gas i believe and ends up in an abandoned gas
• 5:18
  station gets the phone call and her
• 5:22
  daughter is scared because these men are coming in their vehicle towards her
• 5:27
  and then drops the phone and she can't get a hold of her daughter i'm like oh
• 5:32
  my gosh nowadays you know we have cell phones you could track somebody and we have a family 360 app.
• 5:39
  I know where all our adult children are at all times.
• 5:43
  And it's become useful because they've broken down and not known where they're
• 5:47
  at and call for help and stuff.
• 5:50
  But anyway, she's like, back then that wasn't available to her.
• 5:54
  So can you imagine the panic? You hear your daughter's voice in panic.
• 5:58
  You start panicking and you're like, what am I, what can I do to get my mind?
• 6:04
  Okay, she calls 911, but you can't give a direction.
• 6:06
  Her husband takes off. He doesn't know where he's going. He just takes off.
• 6:11
  But who wants to read 2 Corinthians 10, 4 through 6? It's on page 45 in your book.
• 6:18
  Yes, and this, oh, go ahead.
• 6:21
  Carnal, but minding God, revealing down stronghold, casting down arguments in
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  every hiding that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
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  Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
• 6:34
  Yeah, and she's just letting us know fighting fear begins with disciplining our imaginations.
• 6:42
  You know, God is our creator, and he's told us to control our thoughts,
• 6:46
  and it's going to be done in his strength, right? And I don't know.
• 6:52
  The source of believers, this is a side note, I went into Bible Hub because
• 6:56
  looking up fear and, you know, in this scripture, it's the source of believers, our strength is divine,
• 7:06
  right? The power comes from God.
• 7:08
  And it's effective for spiritual warfare, right?
• 7:13
  In Acts 1.8, Jesus promised the disciples, like, power is going to come upon
• 7:18
  you when they're all in the room, right, waiting.
• 7:20
  Jesus has died, but he remembers, okay, power is going to come to you to be
• 7:25
  able to, by the Holy Spirit, that's what empowers us, which is God, right?
• 7:31
  We've got God, Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.
• 7:34
  That's what's going to give us that power that we're going to receive,
• 7:36
  to be able to have that divine strength.
• 7:40
  And the work of the Holy Spirit is going to be throughout our life, right?
• 7:44
  Stronghold arguments that oppose the knowledge of God, right?
• 7:48
  They're like false beliefs, ideology, sinful patterns that resist God's truth.
• 7:56
  That's the only way we're going to be able to combat these things is through the Holy Spirit.
• 8:01
  And it isn't going to be like the fruits of the Spirit where we're like, oh, Lord, give me joy.
• 8:08
  Give me patience. And we're trying to make it, you know, the trees,
• 8:11
  we know those who garden, they can't sit there and make it happen like that.
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  That's something that's going to naturally happen, you know,
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  as we give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit.
• 8:23
  I don't know who I was speaking to, but I was like, you know,
• 8:27
  as I'm getting older, I know a lot of this is surrendering.
• 8:30
  It's a lot of surrender to God, you know, and allowing Him the works to us. Just be willing to.
• 8:38
  Tiny bit, who be willing. And then Joshua 6, we know, I was teaching this the
• 8:43
  other day with the kids on Wednesday night, and it was the fall of Jericho, right?
• 8:47
  So that's a type of spiritual victory. It was obedience, right?
• 8:52
  Because he gave them specific instructions on what to do, and it was God's command,
• 8:58
  right, that led them to victory.
• 9:00
  So the power of faith and divine intervention, overcome spiritual barriers, okay?
• 9:08
  And then we have further down in our book, a response to fear.
• 9:12
  And Max Lucado does a quote, and he's like, the main point is like,
• 9:17
  fear manipulates us with the mysterious unknown, right?
• 9:21
  His arsenal is vast, and his goal is to create cowards and joyless souls.
• 9:29
  And I'm like, boom, that's where the enemy is targeting and using fear in this
• 9:34
  way, to create cowards and joyless souls.
• 9:38
  And I like the word coward because coward doesn't mean, or bravery.
• 9:43
  I'm going, the opposite of coward is being brave.
• 9:47
  And it doesn't mean you're not going to be afraid, but you're going to follow through,
• 9:50
  even though you're afraid, right and that's
• 9:54
  the opposite of being a coward so fear
• 9:57
  is an intimidator right it's intentional
• 10:00
  reaction sometimes necessary god created we
• 10:03
  know this but it can go wrong when we allow it to take over or dominate our
• 10:09
  feelings our decisions our actions so that's when it's crippling us right that's
• 10:15
  the potential of what fear has over us and then she breaks down in deuteronomy
• 10:20
  and i'm just going to go over this quickly.
• 10:22
  In 19 through 21, fear disregards God's plan.
• 10:27
  It distorts God's purpose, verse 27, and then discourages God's people.
• 10:34
  And discouragement is a big one, okay, ladies?
• 10:38
  That's a big one. And then disbelieves God's promises, and then fear disobeys
• 10:45
  God's command in verse 26.
• 10:48
  So she uses Deuteronomy chapter 1, 19 all the way to 33 to describe what fear,
• 10:56
  how it's being used and what it does, like what we're actually doing against our creator.
• 11:02
  Okay, we're disregarding, distorting, discourage, disbelief and disobey.
• 11:09
  And then further down, healthy fear.
• 11:13
  We know fear is healthy because God created it, right?
• 11:17
  Fear of God, this is a different fear we're talking about here, not of man or events.
• 11:24
  And God tells us not to be afraid of him, right? To respect, to have that reverence.
• 11:32
  And in 1 John 4.18, he wants to read that one.
• 11:37
  1 John 4.18, I believe it's page 48.
• 11:41
  Oh, you have to look it up. Okay. Oh, sorry.
• 11:49
  First John 4, 18. Sorry, girls.
• 11:55
  I love how we can share glasses because it'll either be really strong or just enough, right?
• 12:02
  Okay. So first John 4, 18.
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  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do
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  with punishment, and whoever fears has not.
• 12:19
  So when we have that relationship with God, like that reverence for God,
• 12:25
  and that relationship with God, that fear actually means torment.
• 12:30
  Your torment is allowed to be ended when we have the Lord.
• 12:37
  And that's so beautiful. You know, we belong to Him as His daughters.
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  And once you belong to Him, that's it. It's a done deal.
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  Nothing can ever separate us from His love, right?
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  Now, do we get disciplined? Yes, we do. Because He wants us to stay on that path and encourage us.
• 12:55
  We have free will to walk away. It's like I was talking to the children in our lesson in school.
• 13:01
  And I was like, we have, this is us following the Lord.
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  I go but when we turn away from him
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  he's still in the same place we're walking towards
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  darkness we're walking towards evil but I
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  go at any point whether here or all the way over there we can always turn around
• 13:19
  and start following him again we repent we go back to them you know I go you
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  can be way down over there and you're like oh I need to repent and go back at
• 13:31
  any point I go and He's still right there.
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  I go, but it's us who walks away from him.
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  So we belong to him. That's the best place to be. And he's the perfect father.
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  So she's speaking of reverence, right?
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  In that healthy fear that we should have, we respect his power, right?
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  Fearing him is healthy because when we respect his power, we're able to love
• 13:57
  him, trust him. and actually you can grow a fear of displeasing him, right?
• 14:05
  God, I want to displease my father. Or you know right away, I shouldn't have said that.
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  Or why did I do that? You know?
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  But we can misunderstand his grace. He doesn't look away or ignore sin.
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  He hates sin because he's holy. That's his character.
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  And he will not let it go unnoticed, right?
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  And what he notices he will react to so we have galatians 6 7 through 8 who has that one,
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  yes thank you do not be or whatever a man says that you know also reap for he
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  who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.
• 14:48
  Amen. So those who fear and respect and honor the Lord will receive his benefits.
• 14:55
  And I was like, that is another, like where you emphasize those who fear,
• 15:02
  those who respect, and those who honor the Lord will receive his benefits.
• 15:09
  Not every Joe Schmo, not anybody says, oh, I know him, But do you really know
• 15:15
  him? Do you have that relationship?
• 15:17
  A lot of people can know of God, know of Jesus, because you can go and ask them.
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  And they're like, oh, yeah, I know. But they don't really have that relationship.
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  And here it tells us, those who fear, respect, and honor the Lord receive his benefits.
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  Not everybody receives his benefits.
• 15:35
  And then they go into Psalms 103.
• 15:40
  And she goes through verse 11 is mercy. is what we find, what we get from the Lord.
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  In verse 13, he pities us.
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  He pities us. In verse 17, mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.
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  And that's just showing more of God's character and who he is.
• 16:03
  And this is another thing, girls, if we don't, ladies, I'm sorry,
• 16:06
  If we don't realize who he is and his character, Miss Pam broke out with something beautiful.
• 16:14
  She was like, is it okay if I show this to the show? And I'm like,
• 16:17
  Pam, that's beautiful. It's showing the kids at an early age, God's character.
• 16:21
  She had this cute little layout and it's just character after character of who God is.
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  And I'm like, how beautiful is that for them to learn at a young age?
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  Because if you don't know God's character, how do we know to trust him?
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  How do we know we can, you know, go to him and that he's there from everlasting
• 16:42
  to everlasting, his mercy, you know?
• 16:46
  But so I challenge you, if you don't know all of God's character,
• 16:50
  I'm sure there's a study somewhere that's teaching.
• 16:52
  Actually, I think she does one. I'm not sure.
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  But, okay, let's go to the next point. Fear not, God is with you.
• 17:00
  With us as the small child who's afraid at night is the reassurance of I am here.
• 17:07
  And we have Isaiah 41, 10. Who wants to read that one? Page 50,
• 17:11
  I believe it's in the book.
• 17:14
  Amen. I am not, but I am with you. Be not to see me, but I am in your God.
• 17:19
  I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will not hold you with my righteous right hand.
• 17:25
  Amen. It's not about him keeping bad things or against us, right?
• 17:33
  We kind of forget, ever since sin entered the world, evil also entered.
• 17:40
  But we get something good out of it. He gave us that promise of His Son, Jesus,
• 17:47
  and that reconciliation we have with Him, that forgiveness we have,
• 17:51
  that relationship that's restored, and we get to be in His presence again.
• 17:57
  Right and that relationship
• 18:00
  with us is what's going to hold us and strengthen us right and it's believing
• 18:06
  and understanding his promises we don't have to give in to fear right let's
• 18:11
  read first peter 5 7 to i don't i don't think it's in that is it it is first peter 5 7,
• 18:19
  mm-hmm and i think i i remember mike
• 18:22
  teaching he could underline that he
• 18:25
  cares for you he cares for
• 18:28
  you and then she goes
• 18:31
  into another example about a spider being afraid and then just the thought of
• 18:35
  it it's like nothing touching and she's screaming and like i don't like bugs
• 18:40
  either i can freak out or if you hear somebody has whatever and then you start
• 18:45
  itching you know It's like, yeah,
• 18:48
  I can understand how that gets in our head and starts affecting us,
• 18:52
  even though it's like there's nothing there.
• 18:55
  Or even if it was something there, it didn't hurt her. She's not dying from
• 18:59
  it. So that's how she uses that example.
• 19:02
  But fear also cripples. The enemy uses it to immobilize us, right?
• 19:09
  And she was like, I know the enemy didn't want me to finish the study because
• 19:14
  she's typing up her study and all this stuff is happening.
• 19:18
  And I was telling my sister in the car.
• 19:21
  I go, nobody's hung up for fear. I wonder why. Well, I've had two wonderful
• 19:25
  weeks of dealing either with people, like dealing with real fearful things,
• 19:31
  like stuff that's concerning, right? Real things to be afraid of.
• 19:35
  And then just stuff with my daughter, health issues and grandchildren.
• 19:40
  And it's like one night can get carried away.
• 19:43
  But I was like, thank you, Lord, that you put my name on that list to sign up
• 19:47
  for this because I really needed it. And I know it was the reminder.
• 19:51
  Go back. look at the scriptures read the
• 19:55
  word pray don't be afraid you
• 19:58
  don't have to fear fall into that spiral you know so
• 20:01
  i was like thank you lord that you put my name on there because i wouldn't have
• 20:05
  signed up for fear either i was like please let somebody else do it but because
• 20:10
  we always get to put it into practice the lord does that for us you know he
• 20:14
  does so she had a great fear of public speaking, right?
• 20:18
  And she praises God for the joy that she's been giving, knowing that he has
• 20:23
  blessed her in that obedience.
• 20:26
  And believe me, this is not my, like my husband, he can go in front of a huge
• 20:32
  arena of people and not be nervous the day before or fretting or anything.
• 20:38
  Like, oh, it's very comfortable, you know, like I'm just chatting with friends.
• 20:43
  I enjoy one-on-one conversations and things like that. That's my safe area I love.
• 20:50
  But I remember I was asked to be a speaker at a women's conference at our old
• 20:55
  church and I was like, oh my God.
• 20:57
  Are over 50 women there from other churches, and oh my goodness, I was asking for prayer.
• 21:05
  Miss Elva remembers. And then, oh, she came, and then they're sitting.
• 21:09
  We're going to sit right in the front, Teresa, okay?
• 21:12
  Our chair, we're our table. We're going to sit, and we're going to support you, okay?
• 21:16
  And it was very reassuring to look around, and I was able to see their smiling
• 21:20
  faces and just encouraging me, but that's not my comfort area.
• 21:24
  But I know the Lord has blessed that obedience. I know.
• 21:29
  And it's helped me just to be here in front of y'all.
• 21:32
  You know, this is not a comfortable place, you know, for a lot of people. It's just different.
• 21:39
  We're all made differently and some people love it.
• 21:41
  But the Lord had helped me with that for sure. As her obedience,
• 21:46
  because this woman has spoken and helped numerous of women counseling and just blessing other people.
• 21:53
  So fear is a strong emotional response to perceived danger, right?
• 21:58
  But our God has given us truth and tools to handle them, and they're there for our growth, okay?
• 22:05
  So understanding God's love, and of course we read that, Mary read that,
• 22:10
  right? There's no fear in love.
• 22:13
  Perfect love casts out all fear in 1 John 4, 8.
• 22:17
  So living in a state of fear doesn't involve God's love.
• 22:22
  Living in a constant state of fear does not involve God's love.
• 22:28
  It involves torment. And I was like, man, that word is just jumping out at me, Lord, torment.
• 22:34
  I went into the concordance, and I think it was on my phone here.
• 22:38
  So I was like, oh, goodness.
• 22:40
  I know you want to speak to me in there because you're making me look at it, Lord.
• 22:46
  And it's just a smidgen. Look at my phone's going slow. It's not going to pull it up.
• 22:56
  So theologically, that word torment is often understood as consequence of sin
• 23:03
  and separation of God. Okay?
• 23:06
  So it serves as a warning of the spiritual realities awaiting those who do not
• 23:11
  seek reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. That's theologically.
• 23:17
  And then just a breakdown of the word torment.
• 23:22
  It's extreme pain, anguish, torture, misery of either body or mind.
• 23:29
  It can affect our body as well, fear, torment.
• 23:33
  It's the It gives pain, right? Extreme pain or anguish.
• 23:40
  It's torture to harass people.
• 23:45
  Petty annoyances, right? Great agitation. And I'm like, man,
• 23:49
  that just sounds like the devil, doesn't it?
• 23:51
  Attacking God's people, trying to torment us, pick at us like that, cause anguish.
• 23:59
  And I'm like, how many of us fall?
• 24:03
  I feel for those who don't know the Lord, what do they go to?
• 24:07
  We have the Holy Spirit that reminds us, oh, go to me.
• 24:11
  I'm here waiting for you just to come into my lap. Let me hold you. Let me comfort you.
• 24:16
  You know, those who don't know him, what do they go to?
• 24:20
  And then damnation, hell is waiting. Real torment is waiting for them.
• 24:25
  You know, that separation from God forever.
• 24:29
  So I don't know. That's just a little bit of what the Lord showed me with that
• 24:32
  word because it's really stood out. I'm like, I need to look into this a little more.
• 24:37
  But answer is understanding and believing in the love of God, right?
• 24:41
  Not convincing or making it or make it till you fake it or fake it till you
• 24:46
  make it or whatever it is.
• 24:47
  You know, we can go into that, but that's not, no, it's the Lord holding us together, right?
• 24:55
  God is concerned for our life. He loves you very much and His love is perfect.
• 25:00
  And His goal is to keep us from fear.
• 25:03
  And He's given us sound mind. And who wants to read that on page 54?
• 25:08
  2 Timothy, 2 Timothy 1, verse 7.
• 25:14
  Is it 54? Yeah. The thought has not given us the spirit of fear,
• 25:20
  but a challenge and love and a sound like.
• 25:26
  Yeah. Yeah. So in her closing thoughts, page 56, she's like,
• 25:32
  He wants to purify your heart by examining what is in your heart that's contrary to love, right?
• 25:41
  And it just reminds me, there's a song, I think, Creating Me a Clean Heart, O God.
• 25:47
  And we can ask him for that. And because of Adam's fearfulness,
• 25:52
  he sinned against his wife.
• 25:53
  He deceived rulers. He was a source of trouble to them.
• 25:57
  And most of worst of all, Adam dishonored Abraham, I'm talking about,
• 26:01
  sorry. Abraham dishonored God by allowing himself to go into fear to fearful,
• 26:09
  right? And that's Genesis 12.
• 26:11
  And then Peter, he talks about Peter. Peter was in fear, and it was so strong
• 26:17
  it caused him to deny Christ, something he said he would never do.
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  And David's fear led him to run to the country of his enemies and act like a
• 26:28
  madman, crawling around, letting drool run from his face, 1 Samuel 21.
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  12 to 13. And David was a man after God's own heart, right?
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  So each of these men failed, and yet we can learn from them, right?
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  And use their experiences to help teach us how to fight against fear.
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  And I love that. And he says, of course, 41.10, it says, Fear not,
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  for I'm with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God.
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  I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
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  It doesn't say Teresa anywhere.
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  It's I, I, I. That's God telling me everything he's going to do for me.
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  It isn't Teresa, do this, Teresa, do that.
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  Just be willing, right?