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- Wed, Jun 17, 2009
- Permalink
Is it possible to overcome fear in the face of danger? To maintain faith in a world of worry? This issue of Revive digs into God's antidote to fear, complete with personal stories of faith, disaster and hope. Examine biblical principles that can help prepare you for whatever lurks around the corner.
Articles In This Issue
Article- Byron Paulus
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
Earlier this year, the pilot of a private twin-engine plane died shortly after takeoff. That's when passenger Doug White took over and managed to successfully land the plane, saving the passengers on board. When asked if he had been afraid, Doug replied, "Yes, but my fear was focused."
For the Christian, fear is a reminder to put our faith in God. What happens to us is often out of our control, but what we focus on when we are afraid is always our choice.
King Jehoshaphat faced a terrifying scenario that embroiled him in a battle with fear. A ...
- Article
- Del Fehsenfeld
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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I will never forget my first panic attack. I was a freshman in college when my heart started racing, the crowded room felt like it was shrinking, and my breath came in short gasps. I didn't know what was happening, but I had never experienced such overwhelming fear. I quickly decided that fear was something I wanted to avoid at all costs.
You may never have had a panic attack, but I'm sure you are familiar with the stress of anxiety. Fear can control our lives, even when we're not conscious of it.
Many people organize their ...
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- Mark Bearden
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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Some years ago, I was at a major university attending a Broadway-style performance competition. I was sitting in the third row watching one of the groups do their number. In the middle of the song, the tuxedo pants on one of the men suddenly split all the way around and fell apart! To this day I can't believe he didn't leave the stage. But he felt the need to continue, desperately holding his pants together! I'll never forget the pained expression on that poor guy's face as the audience roared in laughter. Many Christians are living ...
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- Ed Welch
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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In the face of fear, we want to keep moving. To slow down and listen to what it might be saying is counter-intuitive. But there is a logic—a language—to fear and anxiety just as there is to most emotions. Listening to fear is like listening to background noise. At first you think there is nothing to hear, but then you notice the wind in the trees, the birds calling for a mate, cars passing by, a plane overhead, creaks in the floors, and the water heater kicking in—there is much more going on than we first noticed ...
- Article
- Nancy Leigh DeMoss
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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At various points in your life, you will be the recipient of bad news, and you'll face challenges that seem insurmountable. You'll get a phone call that you'll wish you could have left unanswered. It might involve your work, your family, or your money. And in that moment, you will be tempted to fear. The children of Israel found themselves surprised and overwhelmed by bad news. Twelve spies returned from their scouting trip into the Promised Land, and they laid out the facts to the congregation: "It flows with milk and honey. . . . However, the people who dwell ...
- Article
- Del Fehsenfeld, Jr.
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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Several years ago at a retreat, our staff discovered that we were secretly struggling with insecurity. As we went around the table, we learned that each one of us had assumed that everybody else was too capable, too qualified, and too established in their positions of leadership to battle with the fear of disapproval. But we were wrong. That discussion began a new spiritual pilgrimage in my life. We defined insecurity as the condition that results from placing confidence in people or things that can be taken away. Further, we realized that just about everything and everyone on this earth ...
- Article
- Life Action
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
Kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in May 2001, Martin and Gracia Burnham spent 376 perilous days of captivity in the Philippine jungle. Facing near starvation, constant exhaustion, frequent gun battles, and coldhearted murder, they endured the ultimate test of faith in the face of fear. On June 7, 2002, in a firefight between their captors and the Philippine military, Martin was killed; Gracia was wounded but freed.
Revive speaks with Gracia Burnham about being a hostage, the fears she felt, and her advice to fearful hearts.
In the initial moments when the kidnapping occurred, what fears were running through your ...
- Article
- Kevin Adams
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
In a sermon entitled "An Exhortation Against the Fear of Death," an English preacher defined his concern as that of the "frail flesh." The year was 1547, and the preacher no less than the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who was presiding over the greatest change in the history of English Christianity: a period known as the Reformation. Having seen the seeds of change in Henry VIII's reign with the initial break from Roman Catholicism, Cranmer became the theological and literary architect of the new Protestant England, under the reign of Henry VIII and his successor, Edward VI. However ...
- Article
- Trent Griffith, Dan Jarvis
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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You know the feeling. You're cruising along on a hot summer day, listening to music, without a care in the world. Suddenly your heart skips a beat and you hit the brakes—a policeman is just ahead, watching you. Did I slow down in time? How fast was I going? Your fear of the law—and the awareness of an authority-results in an immediate change of behavior.
Despite the Bible's constant reminders not to be afraid, there is one fear it encourages time and again. There is one opinion we should care about, one concern that should weigh ...
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- Dr. Richard Fisher
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
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Why should I trust God when He allows disaster?
My friend woke up after open heart surgery to learn that his left leg was going to be amputated. Other friends of mine have arrived at work to find a dreaded pink slip, due to the economic downturn.
Disasters come in different varieties, but at one time or another, they touch all of us. And then there's the bigger scale: war, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, starvation, debt, corruption—it's enough to make any thinking person afraid, even terrified. Yet we are asked to live by faith. We are asked to ...
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- Life Action
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
A salesman grapples with difficult questions in a down economy: “Will my business survive? Is my job on the line? If things go wrong, how will I provide for my family?” Our panel offers perspective.
The Scenario
A typically confident, optimistic businessman has not had much reason to celebrate lately. His sales for the year are down significantly, and market trends don’t bode well for a turnaround. He’s wondering . . . well, worrying, actually . . . about his future with the company. Layoffs have already occurred in his division, and rumor has it that more are on the way. Despite his fourteen ...
- Article
- Life Action
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
If you trust Christ, your soul—that which matters most—is safe. Consider God's Word:
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not ...
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- Life Action
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
Download this Making It Personal worksheet to help personalize this topic of fear. Download PDF (200k)
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- Dan Jarvis
- Wed, Jun 24, 2009
- Permalink
I won't consider this issue of Revive a success if you let go of your fears, trust God for life's outcomes, and relax in a quiet-yet-confident Christian existence. I know, that would be heaven on earth. And that's the problem. If God wanted you in heaven, you'd already be there.
No, the elimination of worldly worries is only part of the faith equation. The rest—that which makes life worth living—is when I step out and boldly obey God. Instead of, "What will I eat? What will I wear?" I seek first God's kingdom ...
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