Harnessing Fear in the Valley of Blessing
Resilience is harnessing difficult emotions to build your faith. Today we talk about how to harness fear and anxiety, and we'll look at the incredible story of King Jehoshaphat. Here was a guy who turned to God in his darkest moment and ended up experiencing his biggest blessing.
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Intro: We’re talking about resilience:
- Resilience is harnessing difficult emotions to build your faith.
- Today’s difficult emotion: fear (anxiety)
- Example: My panic attack in Dallas
- See Anxious series. A few insights:
- Control is just an illusion.
- Let your worries trigger prayer. (Phil 4:6-7)
- Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
- Win the battle in your mind. (Phil 4:8)
- Philippians 4:8 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Types of Fear
Fear is a complex emotion that can manifest in various forms and be triggered by different stimuli. Here are seven common types of fear. Q: Which type of fear are you experiencing right now?
- Fear of Failure: Fear of not meeting expectations or failing in a task.
- Fear of the Unknown: Anxiety about unpredictable future events or outcomes.
- Fear of Change: Apprehension about what the future holds.
- Fear of Pain: Anxiety about experiencing pain or injury.
- Fear of Loss: Anxiety about the potential loss of close relationships or material possessions.
- Social Fear: Fear of Rejection, Fear of Judgment, Fear of Public Speaking
- Existential Fear: Fear of Death, Fear of Meaninglessness
- This is the ultimate fear, the mother of all fears
- We’ll talk about what the Bible says about this at the end
Today’s Bible text:
2 Chronicles 20:1 (NLT) After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.
- This represented so many types of fear for Jehoshaphat
- Didn’t want to fail Judah (he was king)
- 2 Chronicles 17:6 (NLT) He was deeply committed to the ways of the LORD. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
- One of the few good kings in Judah’s history
- The outcome of war is unknown and unpredictable
- How would this change things for the nation?
- He was leading well, bringing religious and judicial reform
- 2 Chronicles 17:7-9 (NLT) In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. …. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the LORD and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.
- Note: sometimes this happens. Life is good, then fear/anxiety comes. Spiritual attack?
- War brings pain and loss
- He narrowly escaped death in ch 18
- Israel’s King Ahab wasn’t so lucky
- Ultimately, this was an existential threat to Judah
TRANS: we’ll pick up this story again, but first let’s set the table…
Defining Fear (Anxiety)
Let’s back up and define fear so we can put it on the operating table
- Remember, that’s what we’re doing with our emotions
- Not stuffing them or demonizing them
- But evaluating them, harnessing them
Fear is an emotion caused by the brain’s reaction to situations, not the situations themselves. (From Anxiety series, lesson 3)
- Fear can be good because it can protect us from real dangers.
- Example: Chad encountering a Bear in Alaska
- Example: Kenzie and the hot stove
- Fear can also serve evil. Fear can keep us from trusting God.
- Example
- Q: Is your fear building or destroying your faith?
Back to Jehoshaphat
- Remember, the enemy armies were advancing
- 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (NLT) Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the LORD for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD’s help.
- Jeho’s 3-part plan for overcoming fear:
- Admit you’re afraid.
- This is big. Put fear on the table. Examine it, don’t be afraid of it. Dissect it.
- Turn to God.
- Simple, right? But be honest about what you typically turn to.
- Start a fast.
- This seems weirdly specific, maybe out of place for today. But have you ever tried it?
- 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT) “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
- Contrast w/ two recent examples for him at harnessing fear:
- King Ahab: 2 Chronicles 18:29 (NLT) The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.”
- Ahab trusted his own scheme
- It backfired - God protected Jehoshaphat, a random arrow killed Ahab.
- Jeho’s father: 2 Chronicles 16:12-13 (NLT) In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the LORD’s help but turned only to his physicians. So he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
- See the contrast? “He did not seek the Lord’s help…”
- See how it ended?
- Here’s how it ended for Jeho:
- 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT) He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
- 2 Chronicles 20:16-17 (NLT) 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!”
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 (NLT) At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 (NLT) On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the LORD there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
