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About these unitsPaul says: ‘Everything that people wrote in the past was to teach us. They wrote those things so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and strength that the Bible gives to us’ (Romans 15:4).

Here Paul suggests reasons why we should study the OT. (OT means Old Testament, the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.) The OT is history. It also has stories of people’s lives. These great OT stories:

Teach the mind. (Read 2 Timothy 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 10:11.)

Encourage the heart. One translation of Romans 15:4 uses this word. The OT stories encourage us. We all have times when we desire some word from God. We know that this would encourage us. It would help us in our difficulties.

Make the will strong. (Note: The will is the part of us that makes us able to choose). The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to continue when things are hard.

Jerome K. Jerome writes funny books. His most famous one is ‘Three Men in a Boat’. The man who is telling the story visits a library. He wants to know what to do about a minor illness. He finds that he seems to have 101 serious diseases! That is not the purpose of this book! Nobody will have all the problems that are in this book.

But all of us have bad times. We may have problems. We may feel sad. One trouble often leads to another too. Some of the subjects are very similar. They may go with each other. So, fear and worry may go together. But they are separate here. One situation may not be the same as the reader’s situation. Another one will be. There is something else important. We may not have these difficulties ourselves. But we may need to help people who do have them.

 Unit 3. Caleb: The Problem Of FearBible passages about Caleb:

Numbers 13:1-14:38; 26:65; 32:11, 12;

Deuteronomy 1:34-38;

Joshua 14:6-14; 15:13-19.

IntroductionWe should not just study problems that we might have. Christians help other people with their problems. We will study some of these. The first two studies were about Job and Moses. Their difficulties were personal. Now we will study Caleb.

Caleb ‘always obeyed the *Lord’. (Read Deuteronomy 1:36; Joshua 14:8-9.) Moses sent him, and 9 other men, to look at the land. But most of them were very much afraid. They also made the rest of the people feel their great fear. They ‘told the people things that made them afraid...’. (Read Joshua 14:8.) Caleb was free from fear. He used his strong trust in God to help God’s people. They were full of pain and despair. Caleb wanted them to trust God instead.

This study could be important to you. Maybe you are not afraid yourself. But the *Lord God wants you to help those who are afraid. Yours is a service like Caleb’s. You have something to say to people who are afraid. In the present times, people are certainly full of fear.

Paul Tillich lived from 1886 to 1965. He wrote about 3 types of worry. There is the worry about fate and death. There is the worry about two feelings. The feelings are about two lacks. There is the lack of inner satisfaction. There is the lack of meaning to life. The third type of worry is about being guilty and deserving punishment.

People do not always express their fears immediately. Then, their sense of need can be so great that they do speak. They tell someone else about their fears and worries. How great if that ‘someone’ is a Christian! What an opportunity! We can tell them what we know about God. We can tell them the good news about Jesus.

The main chapters that we will study here are Numbers 13-14. These 2 chapters can show us some important Bible principles.

1 Total surrender to GodSurrender means to give oneself completely to God. This is the first thing to take us towards peace. It seems a very plain truth. But people neglect it. Caleb said that the people were afraid. ‘But’, he said, ‘I completely followed the *Lord.’ (Read Joshua 14:8.)

Many of the people did not trust in God. (Read Deuteronomy 1:31-32.) The first language of our Old Testament (the first part of the Bible) was Hebrew. The Hebrew word here for ‘trust’ has a strong meaning. It means ‘to put firm confidence in’ the *Lord. It also means ‘cause to expect God’s help’. God says many things. He promises many things too. This is a strong appeal to believe what he says. It is an appeal to trust God without any kind of fear or worry. (Read Deuteronomy 1:21.)

The Bible says that Caleb ‘completely followed the *Lord’. The Hebrew word here is full of meaning. It describes a man who gives himself entirely and completely to God. He does this because he loves God so much. He wants to serve God only.

Our surrender to God is the only answer to the problem of fear. Remember what Isaiah 26:3 says. ‘You, *Lord, give him perfect peace ... because he puts his trust in you.’ ‘Perfect peace’ means that it could not be any better. Someone said: ‘I have made God the end of all my fears.’ So, I bring all my anxious worries to God. Then I leave them with him. God promises this ‘perfect peace’. But it is for those who trust him. It is for those who have confidence in God. They are sure of him.

Caleb certainly had this quality. The reason for his calm attitude is his surrender. (He has given himself completely to God.) Trust leads to being at peace. In the same way, if we do not trust, we do not have peace. There is a reason for this. When we give ourselves completely to God, we make a clear statement. It is this. The responsibility for our lives is not ours. God has total responsibility for our lives.

Caleb was able to make the people calm. (Read Numbers 13:30.) This was because he had a different attitude. (Read Numbers 14:24.) He was not like the people. They would not trust God. They would not obey God’s rules. Caleb gave himself completely to God.

Perhaps we want to bring practical help to somebody who is afraid. If we do, we must be like Caleb:

2 He was honest about the difficultiesBut he was not afraid. Read the story in Numbers 13:17-33. People can try to escape from fear. They pretend to themselves that there are no difficulties. They might even persuade other people that there are none. But we cannot escape from fear in these ways.

Napoleon Bonaparte lived from 1769-1821. He was a famous soldier and ruler. There is a story about him. It was when he had a serious problem with his army. He would plan on paper how to move his army. He used soldiers and arms that he knew did not exist. His captains reminded him of the facts. The soldiers and arms were not there. Napoleon said to them: ‘Do you want to you rob me of my peace?’

We do not want that kind of peace. That is just trying to escape from reality. In the end, it leads to even more despair and pain.

No, Caleb reported the facts. (Read Numbers 14:7-8.) He did not avoid the problems. It was the way that he gave the facts. This was what was different. The other men saw only the difficulties of the Promised Land. They were depressed about them all. (Read Numbers 13:31-33.) Caleb reported about the good things too. He reminded the people of God’s power. (Note: To be depressed means to feel sad and full of despair.)

Moses asked the men to bring good news. He said ‘Bring some of the fruit of the land’ (Numbers 13:20). In this, Moses was accepting God’s word. (Read Exodus 3:8.) The land was full of many good things. God had clearly said it. Moses trusted God, and so did Caleb.

We must understand other people’s problems. This is most important. You may act as if a person’s problems are not serious. You may even pretend that they do not exist. You can never help someone in that way. Listen to what they say with sympathy. Let them know that you care about them. Then try to help them to see their problems as they really are. They need to see the bad things in proportion to the good things.

Often, a person in need does not see facts as they really are. They cannot help this. It is because they are feeling depressed. So, you should show the facts as they are. This is the greatest thing that you can do for them. You cannot do it quickly or in a careless way. Perhaps the person feels that you are in a hurry. If they do feel that, then it gives a definite impression to them. They feel that you do not really care. You do not have sympathy for them in their troubles.

Caleb did not pretend that the giants did not exist. But he was different from most of the men who were with him. He tried to report the good things too.

This leads to an important rule. Fear can come in a new and difficult situation. This rule is a way to attack this fear.

3 Search for something in it that will be usefulSearch for something that will encourage. When someone is in trouble, he can only think of the giants. But there are always good things too! (Read Numbers 13:23.) You may be afraid. If so, then try to be quiet and speak to the *Lord. He can show you good things that he can bring out of the situation.

Moses told the 12 men to gather fruits of the land (Numbers 13:20). This can be picture language for today. Fresh experiences of God are like gathering fruits. They are good for you. You can enjoy them too. They are better than ordinary things.

You can have these experiences even when all is against you. You may feel depressed or lonely. Whatever your troubles, they will seem like giants. At these times, remember something important. It is this. The *Lord can use this experience to bring sure help. He can use it to bring you closer to him.

The Chinese have a word that means ‘crisis’. It comes from 2 word pictures. One of the words means ‘danger’. The other word means ‘opportunity’. Every crisis in life has an opportunity. It is an opportunity for us:

to grow in the Christian life.

to get to know the *Lord better.

to become more useful in service and help to other people.

Caleb recognises something else:

4 Act in a definite and quick way to defeat fearCaleb says: ‘Let us go there at once’. (Read Numbers 13:30.) Remember how God called Moses in the previous study. God says: ‘Now therefore go...’. (Read Exodus 4:12.)

We may have fears and worries. We may feel depressed. These things can easily become worse in our lives. We should aim to overcome them immediately. We can only do this with the help of the *Lord Jesus Christ.

Talk to yourself. (Read Psalm 42:5, 11.) Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a famous Bible teacher and writer. One of his helpful books is ‘*Spiritual *Depression’. He shows the difference between two possibilities. You could let your moods and feelings dictate to you. Or you could talk to yourself in a confident way. ‘Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should wait for God’s help.’ You may be feeling depressed. If so, do not let that mood control what you say to yourself.

Caleb’s friends were very afraid.

5 Caleb reminds them of their resources, which did not have any limits(Read Numbers 13:30, 31.) ‘We are well able’, Caleb says. ‘We are not able’, say his friends. Ask yourself which group you belong to. One group deserves honour. They are those who are well able. Do not belong to the miserable group of those who are not able.

Caleb’s words are important. He said, ‘We are well able’. This does not mean that he had confidence in himself. He did not have the wrong idea of their military power either. No. He was emphasising where their power came from. It came from firm confidence in God’s power.

Friend, whatever your trouble, ‘God is able’. The New Testament (the second part of the Bible) speaks about this many times. Some examples are: Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 3:21; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 2:18; 7:25 and Jude 24.

Maybe you have many troubles. There is something very important to avoid.

6 Avoid always being sad about former troublesIt is easy to think about them all the time. It is not good to do this. It is a very natural thing to do. But it is certainly not a holy thing to do. Read Numbers 14:1-4. The people were trying to escape their present troubles. They did this by thinking of their past. They showed a serious lack of trust in God. They showed too that they were not grateful. They did this in a terrible way. This passage is like a sad song about the past. But it was false.

Earlier, the same people danced with delight. They sang of God’s goodness when he saved them. (Read Exodus 15:1-21.) Now they can only talk about death. There was:

death in Egypt, which they wished they had had. (Read Numbers 14:2.)

death in the desert, which they might have had. (Read Numbers 14:2.)

death in the Promised Land, which they were sure that they would have. (Read Numbers 14:3.)

You may be in some kind of trouble. You may be feeling very unhappy. Do not return to former sad times. You would just add them to your present troubles. You might do it like this. You say: ‘The last 2 years have been awful for me. It began with...’ This is not God’s way to see life.

If you made God the end of your fears at that time, leave them there. He was able to keep you in those difficult days. It is easy to forget this when we only think of the former troubles.

Caleb knew the thing that matters most in all of life’s experiences.

7 The most important thing is to please God (Read Numbers 14:8.) Caleb said, ‘If we are pleasing the *Lord...’. Read Hebrews 11:5-6 too. God’s people were refusing his authority. They were just thinking about pleasing themselves. Caleb had a much better ambition. His desire was to give delight to God. He appealed to his friends not to refuse God’s authority. He reminded them that God loved them (Numbers 14:9).

There is something serious here for us to understand. If we always complain, we show our resistance against God. 1 John 3:22 is very important here. We must obey him and do the things that please him. We must make it our ambition to please him. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:9.)

8 We can succeed if we know that God is with us

It will be like this whatever our fears and troubles are. Caleb realised this great truth. It gives us courage to continue in every situation of life. ‘The *Lord is with us’, Caleb and Joshua declared. The people still refused to accept this truth. They picked up the stones at their feet. They were going to kill the brave men who appealed to them.

Then something wonderful happened. ‘The glory of the *Lord appeared.’ (The word ‘glory’ speaks about the power of God. It shows that God is very great. People usually saw it as a very bright light or fire.) Everyone could see that Caleb’s words were true. So, the angry crowd dropped their stones.

We can be certain that God is with us every day. So, we can be confident whatever happens to us.

There is one last thing to think about in this study. It comes from Caleb’s own experience:

9 God is with usThis makes us sure of God’s power in us. Let us finish this study by reading what Caleb himself says. He speaks about God’s goodness in Joshua 14:6-12. Notice especially what he says in Joshua 14:11-12. ‘I am as strong today as I was when Moses sent me. ...If the *Lord will be with me then I shall be able ...as the *Lord said.’

You may have times of great trouble. You may sometimes think that you will never live through them. But God is able to help you. He is also ready to help you. Let this truth encourage us all in our troubles. Then, our experiences may help other people in their difficulties.

Word List (Words with a *)depression ~ to feel or to be depressed.

spiritual ~ the part of life that is to do with the things of God.

Lord ~ a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we do what they say.

 

By full permission of author

It has not been possible, so far, to discover the copyright holder of this book. If this information becomes available, WA will gladly recognise the publisher fully. The original publisher was Oliphants (1969) SBN 551 00136 4

Wycliffe Associates (UK) EasyEnglish(C) Translation (Level) B

AD 2001

WYCLIFFE ASSOCIATES (UK)

EasyEnglish TRANSLATION (Level B)                                       Mary Read

LINGUISTIC CHECKER                                                              Sue Hunter

© 1999-2003, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

May 2003

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

 

 

Memorable quotes for

Facing the Giants (2006) More at IMDbPro » ad feedback

Grant Taylor: I want God to bless this team so much people will talk about what He did. But it means we gotta give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him. Either way we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes. So I'm askin' you... What are you living for? I resolve to give God everything I've got, then I'll leave the results up to

Him. I want to know if you'll join me. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: You can't judge your father by his actions and yourself by your intentions. It just doesn't work that way. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: With God, nothing is impossible. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: By the way, some man called lookin' for you today. Grant Taylor: Who? J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Stan Schultz. Grant Taylor: Stan Schultz? J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Yeah. Brady Owens: Stan Schultz - isn't that a cartoonist? Grant Taylor: That's *Charles* Schultz. J.T. Hawkins Jr.: No, I thought Charles Schultz was that man that flew across the ocean in "The Spirit of St. Andrews." Grant Taylor: That's Charles Lindbergh, and it's "The Spirit of St. Louis." Brady Owens: Naw, Lindbergh is a cheese! Grant Taylor: Limburger's the cheese. Lindbergh's the man. J.T. Hawkins Jr.: No, Lindbergh was that blimp that blew up and killed all them people. Grant Taylor: That's the Hindenburg. Brady Owens: Nah, Hindenburg's where you go skiing in Tennessee. Grant Taylor: That's Gatlinburg! J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Gatlinburg? You mean like the country music group, the Gatlinburg Brothers? Grant Taylor: [throws ball] Crazy. Share this quote

[last lines] Grant Taylor: Oh God, Oh God, I'm, I'm overwhelmed. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: You think I gotta get at least a moped outta this or something. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: It don't have to look pretty, it don't have to look smooth. It can look like a dying duck as long as it goes through the goal. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: When a black man loses his hair. He still looks cool. Look at Michael Jordan. Samuel Jackson. [continues with all the black bald men he can think of] J.T. Hawkins Jr.: And what do you have? Kojak. Share this quote

Brooke Taylor: Grant, we gotta do something about the car. The only thing it does faithfully for us is break down. Share this quote

Brooke Taylor: She said that I'm fine, my numbers were normal, and there was nothing that gave her concern. Grant Taylor: That's good. Brooke Taylor: It doesn't mean the problem is with you. Grant Taylor: What else could it mean? Brooke Taylor: We may just have not given it enough time. Grant Taylor: Four years? Brooke Taylor: You still hoping we'll have a baby? Grant Taylor: You know I am. Brooke Taylor: Me too. I catch myself thinking about it more and more. Don't you want to know if something is preventing it? Are you afraid of getting checked out? Grant Taylor: Yes. Brooke Taylor: Grant, I'm still clinging to a hope that one day we'll have children. I imagine them running in this house. I hear them playing in the backyard. Or running to our bed in a thunderstorm. And I think about reading them stories and teaching them songs. And I just keep thinking; how can I miss someone so much that I have never met? Grant Taylor: I'll go. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: So basically we got the toughest schedule we ever had. And less talent we ever had... Grant Taylor: I'm so sick of average seasons. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: Will someone tell me how we lost to Dewey County 21 to 7? 21 TO 7! Dewey County hasn't beaten Shiloh since you were in kindergarten! I don't know what you call that junk out there, but it sure wasn't football. Nine dropped passes, four fumbles, three interceptions. THEIR DEFENSE SCORED MOST OF THE POINTS! YOU GAVE THE GAME AWAY! You can't win football games if you don't play together as a team! You can't win games when you're more concerned about what you're doing afterwards! And you can't learn the plays when you miss practice cause you're sitting in detention! I'm sick of the apathy on this team! If we're not here to win football games, then WHY ARE WE HERE? Share this quote

Grant Taylor: Brooke, I can't provide you with a decent home, I can't provide you with a decent car, I'm a failing coach with a losing record. And I can't give you the children you want. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: Lord Jesus, would you help me? I need you. Lord, I feel that there are giants of fear and failure staring down at me, waiting to crush me. And I don't know how to beat 'em, Lord. I'm tired of being afraid. Lord, if you want me to do something else, show me. If you don't want me to have children, so be it. But You're my God. You're on the throne. You can have my

hopes and my dreams. Lord, give me something. Show me something. Share this quote

Larry Childers: Did you do your best, son? David Childers: I knew I was gonna miss it before it kicked it. Larry Childers: Your actions will always follow your beliefs, David. David Childers: Dad, I can't even kick it straight. Larry Childers: And I can't walk. Should I just stay home and pout about it? If you accept defeat, David, then that's what you'll get. Share this quote

Brock Kelley: You don't want us to win games? Grant Taylor: No. Not if that's our main goal. Winning football games is too small a thing to live for. And I love football as much as anybody. But even championship trophies will collect dust and one day be forgotten. It's just that so far this has all been about us; how we can look good, how we can get the glory. The more I read this book, the more I realize that life's not about us. We're not here to get glory, make money, and die. The Bible says that God put us here for Him. To honour Him. Jesus said that the most important thing you can do with your life is to love God with everything you are, to love others and yourself. So if we win every game and we miss that, we've done nothing. Football then means nothing. So I'm here to present you a new team philosophy. I think that football is just one of the tools we use to honor God. Brock Kelley: So you think that God does care about football? Grant Taylor: I think He cares about your faith. He cares about where your heart is. And if you can live your faith out on the football field then yes, God cares about football because He cares about you. He sent His son Jesus to die for us so we could live for Him. That's why we're here. But see, it's not just on the football field; we've got to honor Him in our relationships, our respect for authority, in the classroom, and when you're at home alone surfing the internet. I want God to bless this team so much that people talk about what He did. But it means we got to give Him our best in every area. If we win, we praise Him. And if we loose, we praise Him. Either way, we honour Him with our actions and our attitudes. So I'm asking you: what are you living for? I've resolved to give God everything I've got. Then I'll leave the results up to Him. I want to know if you'll join me? Share this quote

Grant Taylor: Scripture says to honor your parents, and all you do is complain. Matt Prater: All he does is boss me around. He doesn't even try to understand me. Grant Taylor: Matt, you can't judge your father by his actions and then judge yourself by your intentions. It doesn't work that way. You're not responsible for him. You're responsible for you. You honor God by honoring your authority. Share this quote

J.T. Hawkins Jr.: You act like you gonna miss before you even kick the ball. See, we're gonna have to change your whole kicking philosophy. Now see, you kick it wide left, or wide right, but that ain't gonna get you home. The ball has got to go through the middle. David Childers: I know, coach. J.T. Hawkins Jr.: No, no, no. You don't. Now what does scripture say about this? Scripture says wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And many that be there find it.

Now to us; that's wide left, and wide right. But narrow is the gate and straight is the way that leads to life, and few that be there find it. Anybody can kick it wide left and wide right. My momma can kick it wide left and wide right. But that ain't gonna get you home. It don't have to look great. It don't have to look smooth. It can look like a dying duck. But the ball has got to go through the middle. Now David, you gonna have to choose the narrow way. Cause that's the only path where you gonna get your reward. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: I'm a bit nervous. It's the championship. It's kind of surreal for me. Mark Richt: Well, I can promise you. I don't care what level of ball you're coaching; it's surreal when you make it to the championship game. And Grant, I can just tell you: I'm so proud of you and what you've done. I've been reading about the team and where you've gone, and more than anything else I'm just proud of the fact that you finally learned to win the big one. Grant Taylor: Well, we haven't played them yet. Mark Richt: No, you won the big one when you accepted Christ. And now that you're teaching these guys and ministering to them, I think it's just fantastic. Grant Taylor: I got it. These players got it. Mark Richt: Well, I can promise you: win or loose this game, you guys are champions. Grant Taylor: I appreciate that. Mark Richt: But while you're here, you might as well win it, eh? Grant Taylor: I will try my best. You know, this team we're playing: they're huge, they're fast, they're strong. I just don't want my players to be afraid. Mark Richt: Well, in God's word He said 365 different times, "Do not fear." Now if He says it that many times, you know He's serious about it, don't ya? Share this quote

Grant Taylor: We weren't supposed to have a winning season, but we do. We weren't supposed to advance to the playoffs, but we did. We're not supposed to be here, but we are. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: God can do whatever He wants to do, however He wants to do it. And He chooses to work in our lives because He loves us. He's good. Hope today's a milestone for what He can do for the rest of your life if you trust Him. Share this quote

Brooke Taylor: Grant Taylor, I just want you to know that you've made a team. Grant Taylor: What team? Brooke Taylor: The daddy team. Share this quote

Grant Taylor: Hey, where's my car? J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Where'd you park it? Grant Taylor: Right here! J.T. Hawkins Jr.: You sure? 'Cause ain't no way it got stolen. Man, you couldn't pay nobody to steal your car! Grant Taylor: Did the boys do something with it? Grant Taylor: Hey, I don't know... hey, man, there's a note on this truck for you.

Grant Taylor: What does it say? Grant Taylor: It says, "Grant Taylor, the impact you've made on our school means more to us than you'll ever know. The Lord has used you to meet a need in our lives. Now we want to meet a need in yours. You'll find the title of this new truck in your name. Please accept it as our way of saying thank you." J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Uh uh! Somebody done gave you a truck? [opens door] J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Man, this title got your name on it. You got to be kiddin' me. Grant Taylor! Somebody done gave you a new truck! Grant Taylor: [stunned] This is my truck... J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Is this because you the head coach? 'Cause I'm the assistant coach. You think I'd get a moped outta this or something! Grant Taylor: [almost in tears] Oh, Lord, You've given me a truck! J.T. Hawkins Jr.: Well, it's your truck... drive it! Neal Prater: [hiding in the distance, observing and smiling] Not a word. Matt Prater: Yes, sir. J.T. Hawkins Jr.: That's right! No more jumper cables! Share this quote

Have you seen Facing The Giants yet? Yesterday I watched Facing The Giants and I absolutely love it, I love Christian movie and football combine together. I was so blessed watching Facing The Giants beginning to the end of the movie. Facing The Giants is a movie about Christian high school football coach who trusts God to do the impossible; how he turns his underdog football team faces their giants of fear and failure on and off the field to surprising results. All believers and ‘want-to’ believers should definitely see this movie. I recommend you to watch the movie even though perhaps you’re not Christian; I believe you will get inspired by the movie as well. There are so much thing you can learn from the movie that you can apply it into your daily life to your success. Facing The Giants will teach you how to overcoming great obstacles, something everyone faces and how to celebrates the power of the human spirit to rise above what we think is possible.

1. Face Your Fear

In the movie, there is one good soccer players who want to join the team for football kicker position, but he doesn’t want to try because he’s so afraid that he couldn’t make it into the team. Then his father said ‘what have you got to lose if you tried’, the worst case is you’re not in the team, but you’re already not in the team anyway, so why don’t just give it a try.

Sometimes in our life we want something so bad but we fear we will fail and won’t be able to achieve it, then we never do anything about it. Fear is actually normal, but don’t let it conquer you. Keep your mind clear and do it anyway, you’ll be amazed with the results. What have you got to lose anyways?

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen gave a very good definition of fear:FantasizedExperiencesAppearingReal

Fear is no more than your fantasized experiences. The reality may be totally different if only you try. What’s the worst that could actually happen? Probably less serious than you think

2. Face Your Disbelief

Inside Facing The Giants, Brock couldn’t believe that his team could actually win and this is why they always lose, because they have already believed they will lose before even trying. But when he and his team-mates got rid of this thinking, they were ready for great things to happen.

The secret is damn simple: If you can’t believe the best will happen, then it probably won’t. But if you believe the best will happen, it probably will. So, expect and work for the best and nothing less!

Here are my favorite quotes from Facing The Giants:

Coach Taylor: “[In order for God to do great things with this team,] we need to give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him; and if we lose we praise Him. Either way. We honor Him with our actions and our attitudes.”

I love this attitudes, when you praise him no matter what happened in your life, God will blessed you even more. In the movie, there is one match where the team lose the game even when they tried their best, they’re so disappointed but still praise Him. It turns out the enemy cheating during the game and the enemy team got disqualified later on. The bad thing happened in your life is not because of God wants it, if your attitude is still right toward Him, God will help you out.

Coach Taylor: “Your attitude is the aroma of your heart. If your attitude stinks, it means your heart’s not right.”

It’s so damn true.. I got to agree with this one

Coach Taylor to his wife, Brooke:”If the Lord never gives us children, will you still love Him?”

Probably this is the hardest question in your life as believers, if you want something so bad and God never gives it to you, will you still love Him? Watch the movie if you want to know what happened when his wife still choose to love Him even though the fact is too hard to accepted.

Coach Taylor: “I Feel like there are giants of fear and failure staring down at me waiting to crush me”… “I’m tired of being afraid”

Sometime, there is time for you to wake up and stand up from your own fear & failure.. keeping your fear will not bring you anywhere. Don’t let your fear keep sinking and drowning your from your life, it’s only your mind mumbling around, don’t let it conquer you. Enough is enough.. face your own fear. I’ll give you one good for sure way to eliminate your fear : Action! Trust me, just start do/move what you fear, and your fear will be gone instantly the moment you do it, the longer you wait, the bigger your fear & failure feeling will be

Coach Taylor: “You can’t judge people by their actions, and yourself by your intentions. It doesn’t work that way”.

Why harshly criticize yourself or anyone else? Criticizing yourself severely weakens your achievements and your growth at the same time. Insecurity is a very self-destructive behavior.

Controlling Emotions Lesson 2:

Fear Bible Study Part 1- What is Fear?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

I'm going to start off this fear Bible study by posing what may seem to be a very simple question:  What is fear?

Webster's dictionary says that fear is "to...expect with alarm."  Now, as Christians, we are supposed to have a sense of expectancy, but a person who is experiencing fear lays in wait for what seems to be an unavoidable catastrophe.  I have a strange feeling that this is not the kind of expectancy God had in 

mind  . 

One of my favorite definitions of fear is that it is:

False

Evidence

Appearing

Real

That is more true than most people realize.  Statistics have proven that a vast majority of the things we fear never become reality.  But, in our mind's eye, the false fears can sometimes seem more real than anything else around us.

When we are looking to determine the true nature of something, the best place to look is in God's Word.  So, in part one of this fear Bible study, we will carefully uncover what God has to say about the true nature of fear in the Bible.

     

What is Fear Really?

  

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear),

but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 

-2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) 

There are a few important points that this scripture brings up.

1. Fear is a spirit.2. It is a spirit that God did not give to us.3. And self-discipline, self-control and love are our protection from fear?

Though we are talking about controlling emotions, fear is much more than just an emotion (just as most emotions are).  Fear is a spirit.  And it is a spirit that does not come from God.

Fear is a spirit of torment sent out by our enemy the devil.  But, we should not be surprised. The Bible says that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world...and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).   

God says that Satan only comes to "steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10).  And that is what the spirit of fear is sent out to do.  

In lesson 2 of our Online Bible Class, Who's Controlling Your Thoughts, I talked about Satan's Lies of Destruction. Fear is, quite plainly, a spiritual attack designed, not only to steal your peace, but your 

destiny in Christ.  As Believer's it is our responsibility to learn how to safeguard our mind against these attacks, and reclaim what God has in store for us.

Fear Can Steal Your Miracle!

Fear has the power to steal the miracles that God wants to do in you, and through you.  An excellent example of this is what happened to Peter in Matthew 14.  He was on the edge of greatness, but his fear stole his miracle.

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them,walking on the water... Then Peter called to Him,

"Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves,he was terrified and began to sink...

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt Me?"

- Matthew 14:25,28-31 NLT

I LOVE Peter!  Of all of the disciples, Peter, with his great boldness yelled out - Hey, Lord, if it's really you, then give me the power to walk on water too!

And, amazingly, Jesus called Him out of the boat.  And for a moment, a mortal man walked on water.

I want you to stop and  think about this amazing miracle!  Peter is the only man other than Jesus known to have walked on water! 

Jesus was doing a miracle with him - Peter was changing the history of mankind as they knew it.  

And, what happened?  

Peter saw his circumstances - The waves were crashing -The wind was blowing.  Suddenly, he began to fear.  Men can't really walk on water. I'm losing my footing? This is too hard! 

And, just like that, the way we remember history was changed forever.  

People usually don't remember that day as a day when God defied the laws of nature and caused a mere man to walk on water.  It is most often remembered as the day that Peter's fear got the best of him. 

That thief, fear, stole Peter's miracle.

Christian Fear Is Double Minded

God says He did not give us a spirit of fear, but  "of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."  

When we are afraid, our minds are not well-balanced as God describes.  When we fear or doubt God, we are said to be double minded (James 1:8).

God says that when a person comes to Him...

it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting)....

For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,

[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable

and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].  -James 1:6-8 (AMP).  

That is exactly what the spirit of fear wants to do to you.  To make you unstable, unreliable, and uncertain about everything - Your thoughts, God's promises - Everything.  Anyone who has ever been afraid can attest to the truth of that scripture.

Why is Christian fear double minded?  Because part of your mind may believe God's promises of love and provision, but your doubts and fears reveal hidden beliefs contrary to those promises.  

You can't believe Jehovah Rappha is your healer, and then fear you'll die of cancer.

You can't believe Jehovah Jireh is your provider, and then fear you'll go bankrupt.

That is being double minded.

Imagine if your children had that much doubt in your desire or ability to care for them.  That is why God says that a double minded person should not expect to receive anything from Him.

But, you don't have to be double minded, unstable and uncertain.  You can have God's peace and learn how to faith your fears to death!  In the online Bible class that I taught on renewing your mind and emotions, I share a step by step guide for breaking spiritual strongholds like fear and doubt off of you once and for all. You truly can receive the mind of Christ, and be free from the bondage of fear.

Don't Be Afraid To. . . .Bible study on fear and failure.

We had a great Gospel Meeting with Barry Hudson last week. As I think about the lessons, I can't get four major points out of my mind, that I want to share with you in this article.

Don't Be Afraid To FailThe word fail means "to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved" (Dictionary.com).

Using this simple definition, we must admit we all fail. John says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8).

Since everyone fails, we shouldn't be afraid to fail. As a matter of fact, we should realize we'll make mistakes and seek to learn from their them, rather than cowering from the fear of failure.

Parable of the TalentsThe fear of failure is the reason many people fail. Some don't try at all, and some only halfheartedly try, because they're afraid to fail. The thinking is, "If I don't try, I won't fail; therefore, I'll succeed."

In the parable of the talents, the one talent man had this attitude. He was afraid to try, so he hid his talent in the ground, expecting his master to accept his excuses. But when his master returned, he was punished as a lazy and wicked slave (Matt. 25:18, 24-29).

If we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear, we guarantee failure in the form of eternal damnation. But if we rise above fear and obey God, serving Him to the best of our ability by risking failure to gain success, the Lord will mercifully grant us a home in heaven.

Failure Doesn't Necessarily Result In DamnationPaul says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).

If failure automatically resulted in damnation, we could never be saved. But the opposite is actually true --- since we failed, we need salvation.

We shouldn't be afraid to fail, because everyone fails. As failures, we'll either obey God resulting in eternal life, or continue disobeying Him resulting in eternal damnation. Either way, we all make mistakes and fail at some point in life.

Don't Be Afraid To ActAt first, Esther was afraid to fail. If she approached the king and he didn't hold out his golden scepter, she would die.

But Mordecai counseled her, saying, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this" (Es. 4:13-14)?

Esther responded by instituting a three day fast before going in to the king, revealing her attitude, saying, "If I perish, I perish" (Es. 4:16).

Like Esther, we can't be afraid to fail. If we perish doing God's will, then we perish. It's better to die serving God, than to live, and spend eternity in hell.

Don't Be Afraid To Show KindnessIt's very popular to be unkind in our culture, and bully other people. It's recently become such an epidemic over the Internet, TV commercials attempt to reverse the trend by showing the devastating affects it has on children.

One way Christians are different from the world is kindness. And rightly so, since we experience God's kindness in our lives (Eph. 2:7). Therefore, God commands us to put on compassion and kindness, which is a component of the fruit of the Spirit (Col. 3:12; Gal. 5:22).

Don't Be Afraid To GiveThe story of the rich man and Lazarus tells of a man who was afraid to let go of his worldly goods. He may have been selfish, wanting to keep them for himself; or he may have been hardhearted and uncaring.

For whatever reason the rich man refused to help a child of God, we can learn from his life, the end of which is eternity in torment. We can't be afraid to step out and do the benevolent work God has ordained, kindly giving to those who are in need, especially to those of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).

God blesses us materially to share with those who have need (2 Cor. 8-9). If we obey God, we'll store up treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that we may take hold of that which is

life indeed (1 Tim. 6:19). But if we're like the rich man, and keep all our wealth for ourselves, we'll be tormented for eternity.

ConclusionAs James says, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (Jas. 1:27).

We can't be afraid to fail, spiritually or materially. We must step out as God's children and do His work, showing kindness to everyone around us, willing to give of ourselves to help those in need.

When we do, we're blessed. But most of all, we'll live in the Paradise of God for eternity (Rev. 2:7).