Sunday Sermon: Free from Anxiety, August 2nd, 2020
The Sunday Sermon at Grateful Church in Phoenix (8/2/2020)
Fear is a crippling spirit and Satan's stronghold rooted in a sense of hopelessness, misery, and deplorable state in time of crisis. In moments like this, we should try to be sober and in control of our thoughts, meditate and pray, be thankful, do not panic when we are attacked, be more forgiving and don't be too hard on ourselves when we make mistakes. To avoid disappointment, we should not turn to things, places, or people we idolize to seek for safety rather to the living God. The gospel is preached to turn our hearts from the worship of these idols to the living God. We will manage our crisis better when we are free from fear. Reading for the text:
Acts 16:16-19
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, these men are the servants of the most-high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned, and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
1 Cor 2:2-5
2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
There are three things we must understand to overcome the spirit of fear, the torments, and spiritual wickedness. we must understand: the origin, the nature, and the strategies to prevail against their attacks.
The Origin of the spirit of fear
The devil by divine permission preys on miserable and deplorable conditions leads people captive of fear in times of ignorance, infidelity, turmoil, loss of lives, jobs, and properties like in Job’s life. This spirit of fear is not of God
2 Tim 1:7: - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The devil gains adoration and control as people consult powers of drugs, alcohol, psychic etc. for coping mechanism, hidden knowledge, and hope for a price
Job did not blamed God for his miserable and deplorable state of life rather blessed God for the moments he enjoyed His blessings
The use of superstitious application of the word of God with evil design to deceive and preys on people’s needs for salvation. This is the subtility of serpent the devil and evil of its spirit.
Gen 3:1 - Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The slave girl’s motive was profit driven to enlarge her reach/ market share
Her methodology was to curry favor with Paul and Silas because of their growing reputation like Simon the sorcerer did with Peter in Samaria Act 8
The love of money was at the root of the oppressive spirit and greed for gain. Ruthless businessmen who turned blind eyes to the miserable of mankind for profit. It is about gaining the systems. If you do not lose your job you probably will keep your house and car that led to your anxious state of mind
The evil systemic and judicial structures that oppress the poor. Revival is bottom up. Paul had to encounter the poor slave girl to understand the forces working against her freedom to break the evil powers that keeps her bound. It was against the law to worship another except the idols of Rome.
The nature of the spirit of fear and intimidation
The spirit of fear seeks for territorial control of your life and mind to bring you into captivity to sin at his will
Rom 7:24, 8:2: - O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord…
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The scheme of the spirit of fear was to disgrace your work, discredit the gospel, and corrupt your faith in God by aligning themselves to your beliefs to cast doubt, distractions, diversions, and attract attention to themselves. To align with the growing reputation of Paul to deceive the people to believing that Paul and Silas were in the same line of work with her to keep her market share and profitability
2 Cor 11:14-15: - And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness
The persistent nagging of this spirit is to ruffle you up and to put you out of temper to gain control of your thoughts.
1 Peter 5:8-9: - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, …
The flatteries of the spirit of fear are good words with evil design to feed your ego before you crash. What made Paul/Silas the servants of God were not the flatteries of the devils but the ability to cast out the demons from the girl to show people the way of salvation and expose the devil’s deceptions
Mark 3:27 - No man can enter a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Strategies to break free from anxiety:
Be sober, vigilant, and in control of your thoughts and the flow of information in crisis, particularly, what you allow to see, hear, feel, speak about, etc. You will be snared by what you allowed.
Meditation and prayers will keep your mind in peace
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Be thankful and do not blame God in your struggles rather bless His name. Job, Paul, and Silas thanked God in their crisis
1 John 4:18: - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.
Ps 149:6, 9: - Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.
9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.
When you are attacked, do not panic. Use the authority of the word and the power of the name of Jesus to drive out the spirit of fear. Be stern, courageous, and bold in faith. Paul did and freed the slave girl, the jailer, the prisoner, and the City of Philippi
Matt 10:7-8: - And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
There is power that goes with the word of God that the devil cannot resist, withstand, or prevail against
Rom 1:16: - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; …
Satan is the destroyer Rev 20:3. The spirit must come out to have the mind restored. Paul casted the demon out and chained them from further destruction of the girl’s life and the people of the city
To chain the devil is to deny him access, freedom of operation, the power to deceive, and his capacity to destroy. This is the hope of gain the master lost.
Satan was forced against his will to quit his hold on the city, the girl, the jailer, the prisoners, and empty the prison houses –
Isa 42:6-7: - I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, … and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Do not be perfectionist, you will make mistakes. We are imperfect beings. God made us that way that we may seek Him, know Him, and depend on Him alone. We live in the era of superstars and seek to be entertained to suite our fears, so, do not look to those we idolize for solutions
Avoid being idolized. A humble heart will recognize mockery when it hears one. You will be under pressure, afraid to fail, or to meet expectations, and people will be disappointed. When hope is differed, it makes the heart sick. Paul did not solicit the testimony of the slave girl to make himself noticed rather it was the power of God that made him noticed
Matt 19:16-17
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God ….
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