The Abide Podcast

First i think we need to understand the definition of fear 

definition of fear on Google: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat 

when we think about the fear that should trigger a response in our brain to know that there is a lie you are believing that is causing that fear and getting to the root of the lie and ask god “What do you want me to know about x” so he can reveal where this lie and fear came from 

the lord tells us “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.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ 

So if we have a perfect God who tells us that He casts all fear out then why is fear such a common thing? 

like as Christians how can we stop running from fear and find freedom from fear? 

We protect ourselves from situations in which the lord really could move in 

We live a life of self-protection and self-promotion 

We don’t live a life of “where you lead i will follow” because we are fearful 

Nothing can separate us from Christ Jesus 

Fear is a gift and makes you alert. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom 

the fear that is self-protection… god tells us not to be afraid because fear now makes of decisions

As soon as we address the fear it disappears 

When we ask god what he wants us to know it gives us knowledge which gives us peace when we know things and eliminates the fear 

 When something isn’t going our way we need to ask God “what he wants us to know” 

asking god why there could be so many explanations but god will always ask what he wants us to know 

Fear prevents you from confronting god 

Fear points to the lie!!!!

Fear is the way the enemy prevents us from experiencing God

We are scared and fearful of what God might do and we need to let go of that fear

God is constantly inviting us into our fear so we can walk us through the other side 

We need to let God have our fear 

All conflict is sourced in fear 

We make permanent decisions in a temporary season … out of fear 

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 13:49-50 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There are two kinds of people. The people will be gnashing their teeth because they are angry with God’s judgment, and there will be those who are weeping because they thought they would be included in the glory

God’s righteous judgment on sinners and the wicked

Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Psalm 1:5-6 “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Revelation 21:8

God’s discipline on believers

Moses and the Rock → Moses was not able to enter the promised land

David and Bathsheba → David’s kingdom was taken from him by his own children

Jacob & Esau → Jacob I loved & Esau I hated, how did God manifest his love and his hatred?

Personal examples 

The consequences and effects of sin and our fallen world

Genesis 3: the fall 

Can come from our sin or others' sin 

The Reality of Satan

Satan is constantly wanting to deceive and tempt us. 

God does not tempt us, he will only test us and give us opportunities to be faithful 

James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

1 chor 10:13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

How satan has deceived our society 

He wants to convince our society that God doesn't exist 

He does this through multiple forms of manipulation, even though people that profess to be Christians such as prosperity gospel preachers

Join us as we discuss the music convictions we have and why we do or don't listen to some music based on what we think God's word tells us!

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (ESV)

Proverbs 2:2 Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.

Proverbs 25:12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

You trust God and you move forward. You try to heal and you pray for the Lord to use the ending of that relationship to glorify Him and reveal to you valuable lessons. 

Take time to reach closure for the relationship. You have to be able to be comfortable with the person, especially if you are both believers you are brother and sister in Jesus. That's why it's so important how you date and pursue purity because you aren't each other's spouse yet and if you go tying yourself to that person without a covenant involved, once a breakup comes it gets really messy, and its hard because you're breaking soul ties. 

Singleness is a gift according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:6-9 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

In singleness, it is much easier to pursue your own callings because you aren't concerned with the welfare of someone else.

Step 1. You need to identify that it's a toxic friendship. Some characteristics of identifying whether a friendship is toxic are 

Manipulation 

Lying 

Gossiping with or about you

This isn't all-encompassing but it's a few qualities

Step 2. Pray and ask the lord for clarity, wisdom, and discernment on the situation. Open your bible and see what the lord has to say. God speaks primarily through the bible which is readily available to anyone in the US, its an app. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Step 3. Ask wisdom from an older and wiser person, preferably one that is disciplining you already and knows your heart and it is a safe space for you to talk with them about it in a way that isn't gossip but genuinely seeking biblical council. 

Step 4. Look at it as a ministry opportunity to show Christ and his love. If you feel like you are being led to have a conversation with that person, do it in a way that Jesus would. 

Matthew 5:39-40 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 

Continue to pray as you navigate it. Have the perspective that you are saved and free in Christ and anyone who is toxic is probably struggling with sin or maybe they aren't saved at all. You should pity them more than you should be angry with them. Allow your heart to break over sin so it forces your actions to be from a place of love for people who probably really need it.

Step 5. Forgive them and begin praying for your heart and theirs. 

Since we covered the ending of a dating relationship we will take this more in the direction of a friendship or maybe a family member. First,a we just want to reiterate if we haven't already how difficult all of this is. Nothing about losing any kind of relationship is easy but we live in a fallen and broken world and unfortunately, this is part of it, even in Christian community there will be a loss of relationships sometimes, even though we strive for that to never be the case. 

Lamentations 3:13-15 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver.14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;  they mock me in song all day long.15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.