June Hunt - Fear: No Longer Afraid

The printed version of this eBook is the Fear: No Longer Afraid book, ISBN-13: 9781596366701

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Fear: No Longer Afraid
Copyright 2013 Hope For The Heart
All rights reserved.
Published by Aspire Press
An imprint of Hendrickson Publishing Group
Rose Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 3473
Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473 USA
www.HendricksonPublishingGroup.com

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FEAR

No Longer Afraid

JUNE HUNT

• Gives practical advice and Biblical wisdom from June Hunt, a biblical counselor whose award-winning radio program Hope For The Heart is heard on more than 900 radio outlets around the world. For more than 25 years, she has counseled people, offering them hope for todays problems.
• Teaches the forms of fear like anxiety that can ultimately lead to panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more.
• Gives you the tools to move from fear to faithfrom panic to peacethrough a deepened understanding of the love and power of Christ in your life.

Dear friend,

The first time I remember seeing excessive fear, I was a young girl. Our family was visiting a ranch in Wyoming when my brother and I were suddenly startled by screams coming from an adjacent room.

Immediately, we ran into the kitchen to see what was eliciting such shrieks of terror. There we saw our mother and her close friend, Helen, standing on top of the kitchen table screaming at the top of their lungs .

What were they so afraid of? A poor, panic-stricken mouse quivering in the corner! (I assure you, that little mouse had far more to fear than did these giant, gargantuan human beings.)

Indeed, there was a mouse in the house! But truthfully, Ray and I were so tickled at seeing our mother, for the first time, acting in a way that we considered totally irrational that weburst into gales of laughter. Their screams combined with our laughter made for a most interesting chorus of contrasts. (It was funny to us, but not to her!)

Most children like to torment their parentsof course, all in the name of fun! And we were no exception. Therefore, when a mousetrap occasionally caught a wee mouse by the tail, my brother and I proceeded to put the live little mouse inside an empty mayonnaise jar. Then everyone (especially Mother) could clearly see all of its tiny features.

After poking holes in the lid so the mouse could breathe, we made our surprise presentation. Mom, we have a gift for you, we declared with mischievous smiles. Mother returned a warm smile. Then as we abruptly presented the trapped mouse with great fanfare, naturally she would squeal. And naturally, we would break into gales of laughter.

For years Ive been familiar with the old saying: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How much wiser I would have been if I had figured out that Fun is also in the eye of the beholder . For, indeed, we had fun at our mothers expense. While she was good-natured about our pranks, our presentations could have sent her into a full-blown panic attack!

Now today, if we make the decision to refuse to be fear-based, we need a clear understanding that Fear is in the mind of the beholder. This means that our thinking must be conquered before our fear can be quelled.

Interestingly, God never assumes we will live without fear. In fact, His Word specifically addresses fear by telling us to say, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You (Psalm 56:3 NASB). Notice, this verse does not say if, but When I am afraid. Yes, undeniably there will be times when you and I will be afraid. God knows this to be true.

However, we shouldnt be consumed by fear. We shouldnt quiver and quake and quit! Instead, we should simply say to God, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Only then can our hearts truly be at peace.

When you find yourself in fear-producing situations, my prayer is that you will say six times, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. If you consistently choose this one simple step, you will slowly see yourself moving from fear to faith.

Yours in the Lords hope,

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.
(Romans 12:2)

FEAR

No Longer Afraid

Imagine being terrorized, your life continually threatened, your heart gripped with fear.

Imagine every day waking to the thought: This day could be my last daythe last for my familythe last for my friends!

Imagine living in the constant fear of being burglarized and brutalized, vandalized and victimized, mauled and murdered.

Now, all of a sudden, someone appears out of the blue, instructing you to do the unthinkable take action and fight those you fear! But such an idea is impossibleeven preposterousespecially for Gideon who is inclined to flee in the face of fear.

Now, imagine trying to thresh wheat in a winepress of all places! To threshto separate the chaff from the wheata gentle breeze in the outdoor air is needed to winnow the chaff. As all is thrown up into the air, both chaff and wheat, the wind blows away the lightweight chaff, and the heavier wheat falls to the ground. But in a winepress the surrounding walls prevent the wind from blowing in the center and threshing is not likely to be effective.

So here you are in hiding, fearing for your life, fighting an uphill battle for a few grains of wheat. At this point, the angel of the Lord appears, saying, The L ORD is with you, mighty warrior. He addresses you as what? Whats this mighty warrior ?

Who, you?

Imagine being asked to do something you know you cant do. Like Gideon, rather than attempting to meet the challenge, you find yourself responding, Thanksbut no thanks. Youve got the wrong person.

However, the angel announces that you are to lead the battle against your greatest enemyan enemy that vastly outnumbers your armyone greatly feared by everyone and feared for good reason! The mammoth Midianites have been ravaging and ransacking your people at will, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

How? Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites [and other enemies] invaded the country. They ... ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys (Judges 6:34). Understandably, your heart is terrorized with fear.