[00:00:00] One of the kindest men I've ever met was Adrian Rogers.
[00:00:04] It was back several years ago when I was in Jerusalem, leading a tour through that land.
[00:00:11] One day I met Adrian Rogers face to face. We'd never met before, but he was so gracious.
[00:00:19] For perhaps a half hour or so we talked. He was so lovingly concerned about what I was doing.
[00:00:26] He asked all about my ministry and about my life, my family.
[00:00:32] So what impressed me is how he spoke to me with a heart of love and concern, though we'd never met before.
[00:00:40] And no wonder that his ministry was called Love Worth Finding.
[00:00:45] Now I have obtained a publication written by Adrian Rogers.
[00:00:50] It's entitled, When We Listen to That Sinister Minister of Fear the Devil,
[00:00:55] Rather Than Listening to God.
[00:00:57] Let me repeat that.
[00:00:58] When we listen to that sinister minister of fear, the devil, rather than listening to God,
[00:01:05] we'll fail every time.
[00:01:08] Well, many of us and many of you have been hurt by having a spirit of fear.
[00:01:13] So I want to speak to you about hurting people.
[00:01:16] I believe fear is one of the most diabolical spirits of our adversary.
[00:01:21] And I want to read to you this message by Dr. Adrian Rogers entitled, Facing Your Fear.
[00:01:28] And I believe it'll minister to you as it did to me.
[00:01:31] He wrote,
[00:01:32] During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt famously said,
[00:01:37] We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
[00:01:40] Those were riveting words, however, I don't agree.
[00:01:43] There are many things in our world to fear.
[00:01:47] Today, people fear losing their health, their wealth, their savings, their job.
[00:01:52] They even fear losing their family or friends.
[00:01:54] God's word has plenty to say about conquering fear, facing fear with faith, and living a future free from the bondage of fear.
[00:02:03] Not all fear is bad.
[00:02:05] Jesus literally told us to fear on one occasion.
[00:02:08] He said in Matthew 10, 28,
[00:02:12] Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
[00:02:16] The unsaved do have something to be afraid of, and that's a healthy fear.
[00:02:21] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 9 and 10 says.
[00:02:26] That's the kind way of saying you don't have to have good sense unless you fear the Lord.
[00:02:32] That doesn't mean you cringe before God, but reverence him with holy respect.
[00:02:37] There are also harmless fears and phobias like fear of mice.
[00:02:41] But a spirit of fear of 2 Timothy 1, 7 and the bondage of fear in Romans 8, 15.
[00:02:47] They're damaging, destructive, debilitating.
[00:02:51] And the spirit of fear, if you suspect you're in bondage to fear, you don't have to stay there.
[00:02:57] Young Timothy, equipped and anointed to do the work of God, was briefly right where you are.
[00:03:03] But the apostle Paul spoke to him very straightforward.
[00:03:08] He said, God has not given you the spirit of fear, but a power and of love and a sound mind.
[00:03:13] And Paul says, you've forgotten who you are, what God has done for you, and God wants to do through you.
[00:03:20] Fear caused Timothy to forget.
[00:03:23] Focusing on what you fear, take your eyes off the Lord, his blessings, what he's done in the past, and what he'll do in the future.
[00:03:31] Perhaps Timothy was afraid of what might happen to him.
[00:03:34] And when we listen to that sinister minister of fear of the devil, rather than listening to God, we'll fail.
[00:03:41] In your life, do you have unused abilities, gifts buried and forgotten because you're afraid?
[00:03:47] Don't be bound by fear. Your treasure will remain buried.
[00:03:52] In addition, fear can literally make you sick.
[00:03:54] In fact, a well-known American doctor said, for 90% of chronic patients, the trouble did not start with a cough or chest pain.
[00:04:04] The first symptom was fear.
[00:04:06] Fear in your life is like sand in the machinery.
[00:04:10] Faith in your life is like oil that lubricates life.
[00:04:14] Thank God Paul didn't tell us that the problems are always what we have to accept.
[00:04:20] No, he says we can face fear and overcome.
[00:04:24] And we understand that greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world.
[00:04:28] We have every reason to be overcomers by God's grace.
[00:04:31] And that's my appeal to you.
[00:04:34] So faith can face fear and overcome.
[00:04:38] Your strength is in the Lord himself.
[00:04:41] There is no foe that's greater than God's word.
[00:04:45] There's just no need to be afraid.
[00:04:46] I love the scripture.
[00:04:48] The Lord is my light and my salvation.
[00:04:51] Whom shall I fear?
[00:04:52] The Lord is the strength of my life.
[00:04:54] For whom shall I be afraid?
[00:04:56] That's the great 27th Psalm, verse 1.
[00:04:59] So I say, focus on the Lord.
[00:05:02] Remember the gift of God within you.
[00:05:05] God has given you the spirit of power.
[00:05:08] He's given you the spirit of love.
[00:05:10] And he's given you the spirit of a sound mind.
[00:05:13] Love can be a mighty force to overcome fear.
[00:05:17] 1 John 4, verse 18 says,
[00:05:19] Perfect love casts out fear.
[00:05:21] This doesn't mean if you can love God perfectly, you won't be afraid.
[00:05:27] It means literally you don't have to be afraid.
[00:05:30] Because God loves you perfectly.
[00:05:33] The Bible says we have no fear of someone who loves perfectly.
[00:05:37] When you see God's mighty power on one hand, and his mighty love on the other, fear just melts away.
[00:05:45] Fear in that love says, Lord, no matter what happens to me, I know you love me.
[00:05:51] And because you love me and you're all powerful, you're working all things together for my good.
[00:05:58] The devil doesn't want you to grasp this.
[00:06:01] 2 Timothy 1, 12, Paul said,
[00:06:04] I know whom I believed.
[00:06:07] And I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.
[00:06:13] Have you committed everything to the Lord?
[00:06:15] Then you do not need to fear.
[00:06:18] I know that fear, I say, is one of the tormenting spirits that can cause you to be deeply hurt.
[00:06:24] And God wants you to know you can have victory.
[00:06:28] And you can have the ability to rise above fear.
[00:06:32] So learn this truth, that you can be an instrument of blessing by the fact that you are overcoming fear of all sorts.
[00:06:42] I'm very grateful. Praise God, I'm grateful that the Lord gave me a truth that enabled me to overcome fear of every sort.
[00:06:52] It was a time of visitation when I was endeavoring to overcome the fear.
[00:06:58] And I wrote down and I published it on a card.
[00:07:02] You'd like to hear what I wrote?
[00:07:04] Here's something I know is very real.
[00:07:06] Number one, fear has one source, the devil.
[00:07:10] 2 Timothy 1, 7.
[00:07:12] For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.
[00:07:18] Notice that fear is not a mental quirk, but it's an actual spirit that emanates not from God, but from the adversary.
[00:07:26] For you do not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, Romans 8, 15 says.
[00:07:31] Notice it's called a spirit of bondage.
[00:07:34] Now, the results of fear are not pleasant.
[00:07:37] Fear can hurt and hurt deeply.
[00:07:40] In fact, fear produces deep discomfort.
[00:07:43] The Bible says in 1 John 4, 18, fear involves torment.
[00:07:49] Victims of satanic fear actually suffer physical agony, mental anguish, and spiritual torment.
[00:07:57] These are deep hurts indeed inflicted by the spirit of fear.
[00:08:01] Now, fear itself is so deceptive.
[00:08:05] It will lead you into the snares of the enemy.
[00:08:08] For instance, Proverbs 29, 25 says,
[00:08:12] The fear of man brings a snare.
[00:08:15] Fear beguiles, deludes, and leads you into a make-believe world of deception.
[00:08:21] And now, the fifth factor I want to deal with here is that fear can produce in kind.
[00:08:28] Like Job long ago, he said,
[00:08:30] The thing I greatly fear has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.
[00:08:36] You fear calamity, and you could be writing your own ticket for calamity.
[00:08:40] If you fear failure, you're opening the door for failure to envelop your life.
[00:08:46] So here's what to do about fear.
[00:08:48] Dare to rebuke fear in the name of Jesus.
[00:08:52] Call the spirit of fear by its right names, a deceiver, a liar, a faker, a fraud.
[00:08:57] And James 4, 7 says,
[00:08:59] Resist the devil, he will flee from you.
[00:09:02] Now, fear will cause you to expect the bad.
[00:09:07] It can lead to an urge even to commit suicide.
[00:09:10] Fear is manifested in stinginess toward God in giving.
[00:09:15] Fear creates nervous breakdowns.
[00:09:17] Sleeplessness will press you in your poor life,
[00:09:20] and bondage in sharing Jesus with others.
[00:09:23] I say again, no more convincing testimony.
[00:09:27] In the Bible, is that of Job.
[00:09:29] Job 3, 25.
[00:09:32] The thing I greatly fear has come upon me,
[00:09:35] and what I have dreaded has happened to me.
[00:09:38] So this day, we're going to deal with these wrong spirits,
[00:09:42] these wicked, vile spirits that cause defeat, depression, destruction, even death.
[00:09:48] The result of your fears.
[00:09:50] Give no place to fear.
[00:09:52] Resist it in Jesus' name.
[00:09:55] Apply the precious blood of Jesus.
[00:09:57] Quote the word of God, of course, and praise the Lord.
[00:10:02] Father, in Jesus' name.
[00:10:05] In this radio audience, there are many people who are beset by fear.
[00:10:09] And Lord, this has caused deep felt hurts in their life.
[00:10:13] So I speak today in the name of Jesus,
[00:10:16] and take authority over this spirit of fear.
[00:10:20] This oppression of the wicked devil.
[00:10:22] Father, I thank you for setting people free today.
[00:10:26] By the authority of Jesus' name, amen.
[00:10:31] Michael Dale will tell you about a very important resource
[00:10:34] on how to cope with your hurts.
[00:10:38] How to rise above a spirit of hurting,
[00:10:41] and let God's word prevail.
[00:10:43] Yes, thank God when you are free from this spirit that wants to cause you to be oppressed.
[00:10:50] Just rise up with victory in your heart.
[00:10:53] Defeat the enemy's attacks.
[00:10:55] You can see your loved ones saved.
[00:10:58] You can receive healing for your body.
[00:11:00] You can obtain supernatural guidance as you let God's word prevail.
[00:11:05] So this is my invitation to you.
[00:11:08] Request this special CD about overcoming hurts.
[00:11:14] Are you hurting?
[00:11:15] That's the subject.
[00:11:16] And Michael Dale will tell you more about that.
[00:11:19] Well, you know, in this ministry,
[00:11:21] we sort of have an emphasis that's called by God
[00:11:26] to really lead you into a life of joy and praise.
[00:11:31] I have discovered this for many years, of course,
[00:11:34] not just from my own life but the lives of many others.
[00:11:38] Whenever personally I find myself beset by a spirit of fear,
[00:11:43] I will simply stop and redress that fear
[00:11:47] and then affirm God's word.
[00:11:49] There's such power in praise to enable you to overcome.
[00:11:54] And if you this day will make it your purpose
[00:11:57] to magnify the Lord with me.
[00:11:59] Will you join me as we together say,
[00:12:02] Praise you, Lord.
[00:12:04] Let's say, Praise you, Lord. Amen.
[00:12:07] Ten times let's affirm it.
[00:12:09] Praise you, Lord.
[00:12:11] Praise you, Lord.
[00:12:13] Praise you, Lord.
[00:12:15] Praise you, Lord.
[00:12:17] Praise you, Lord. Amen.
[00:12:21] Praise you, Lord. Amen.
[00:12:23] Praise you, Lord. Amen.
[00:12:34] Hallelujah.