We're continuing our Overcoming series and beginning a new topic, fear.

1. Fear is universal
   1. Adam and Eve experienced fear in the garden
      1. Farther we go from God and the more disobedient we are, the greater the fear that we experience
   2. Our world offers a continual diet of fear
      1. Economy
      2. World conditions
      3. Medical concerns
      4. See Reader's Digest illustration p. 82 LaHaye
         1. Joseph Fort Newton, former pastor of St. James Church, Philadelphia
         2. Had newspaper article called "A ministers mail"
         3. His column "everyday living" reached millions of people
         4. One article was about fear and he said that "fear leads to worry and worry is a tiny rivulet seeping into the mind like slow poison, until it paralyzes us and cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained."

1. Fear is personal
   1. We fear failure
   2. We fear that our kids will be hurt
   3. We fear retirement
   4. We fear not having medical help
   5. Parents in our culture especially battle with fear
      1. Fear of leaving our kids in a church nursery
      2. Fear of letting our kids attend youth ministry
      3. Fear of losing our kids to the world
   6. Singles battle fear
      1. Fear of getting married to the wrong person
      2. Fear of being deceived by someone you marry

1. Fear is costly
   1. 92% of our fears NEVER take place
   2. Emotionally - fear leads to any number of emotional issues
      1. Anxiety
      2. Doubts
      3. Timidity
      4. Indecision
      5. Superstition
      6. Withdrawal
      7. Loneliness
      8. Overagression
      9. Worry
      10. Inferiority
      11. Cowardice
      12. Suspicion
      13. Hesitancy
      14. Depression
      15. Haughtiness
      16. Social shyness
   3. Socially
      1. Fear keeps us from speaking
      2. Fear keeps us from serving
   4. Physically
      1. Fear affects our health in a variety of ways
   5. Spiritually
      1. Quenches the Holy Spirit
      2. Stifles our soul wining
         1. Compare Paul and Silas with the Philippian jailor
      3. Prevents us from pleasing God