How To Conquer 3 Types of Fear Kathryn Kuhlman Psalm 91

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear. It makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the troubled breast. Tis manner to the hungry soul and to the weary rest. Father God, in this moment, that weary one needs the touch of the Master. Give peace of mind. Give peace of soul. Hear the prayer in that falling pier. Hear the prayer in that sigh. Be real to that one. Give peace and rest for Jesus' sake. Amen. For a few minutes, you and I are going to have one of those little heart -to -heart talks together about something that concerns practically all of us. And that is how to overcome fear. Some little while ago, the New York Herald Tribune published a number of articles in answer to the question of how mentally fit Are We New Yorkers? And in one of the most penetrating, one of the most alarming of the series, the writer pointed out that after an eight -year study by a five -man team based at New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, the conclusion was reached that only one out of five is mentally well. Get it? Just one person out of every five is mentally well. Just one out of four is so psychologically disturbed as to be impaired in his social relations. The rest have some symptoms of psychological illness, but they do not interfere with their lives. And just in case this analysis might be thought to relate only to New York City alone, the researchers added, and I quote, the frequency of symptoms does not appear to differ much from other parts of the United States. So that includes you and includes me, includes those living in California, Washington, Pennsylvania. You know, reading these reports make it clearly evident that the basic problem in most instances was that of fear. Fear of not achieving. the desired social status, fear of failing in business, fear of divorce, fear of advancing age, fear of an atomic war. We're afraid of the dark. We're afraid of disease. We're afraid we might have cancer. We're afraid of what's going to happen. We're afraid of the future. We're afraid of death. And if we were only honest with ourselves, we would have to confess that we're not only afraid of our enemies, we're even afraid of our friends. We're sometimes even afraid of ourselves. Fear seems to be the climate in which we live today. The very atmosphere is just filled with fear. The very language that we speak is one of fear. I have always appreciated this 91st Psalm. But somehow today I appreciate the truth. I appreciate the promise. I appreciate the power. of that 91st psalm as I have never appreciated it before. How comforting. Let me just give you a few words again. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. The young lion and the dragon shalt thou... Trample under feet. Oh, beloved. Those are glorious. Those are powerful words. And they come from the highest authority in heaven and earth. And pause a moment. Consider. The one who spoke those words knew from experience how to face, how to fight, how to forget his fears. He knew. You can only give. to another, that which you have actually experienced yourself. You cannot give to anyone else more than you yourself have experienced. That's the reason he could say, I know from experience. He was a friend of God. He lived in God's presence. He could face his generation. He could face his tasks without a fear. He knew whereof he spoke. Now, just for a minute or two, let us consider how to face our fears. Let's get right down to everyday living. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Perhaps you have never really understood those words. Half the battle in fighting an enemy is facing the enemy. That is to say, recognizing him for what he is, you have got to face the enemy. The verse before us describes the instigator of human fears as a lion, a serpent, a dragon. Ultimately, this description spells out the one supreme enemy of all mankind, the one who brought sin and suffering in the world, and therefore spread the unwholesome fears that we are thinking of today, and his name is Satan. The fear in that life of yours comes from Satan. He's the instigator. He's the one who puts that fear in that mind of yours. Now, in terms of fear, he comes to us in three forms. First, the undisguised fear. Thou shalt tread upon the lion. Now the lion is an animal who can never disguise himself. Never. His form is huge. It's big. His roar is loud. And his destructive forces can never be mistaken. If ever you go to a zoo, you'll always hear the lion roar even before you get inside the gates. He's there. Never mistaken. Never hidden. Sure. That's the reason, in God's Word, he is used as a figure of speech to illustrate the undisguised fear. In this dramatic and figurative language, we have a picture of the undisguised fears that terrify people like you and like me. Anything that spells death frightens young, frightens old alike. Death, the king of terrors. It may be the threat of war, the discovery of some disease, the news of an accident, or 101 other things. These are all undisguised fears. We know them to be real. They're factual. We can hear their roar. We see their form. We sense their danger. They're not figments of our imagination. We know we've got to face them. In the final analysis, however, what we really fear is not death as much as what happens after death. Unless we've made our peace with God, the Bible tells us, and our hearts confirm it, judgment awaits us. It isn't that we fear death. All of us know that the day is going to come when we're going to have to face death. It is pointed out to man once to die. The thought of death isn't so frightening. The fear that is associated with death is that which will happen to us after death. That's it. So much then for undisguised fears. Let's go to the second, the unexpected fear. Thou shalt tread upon the adder. Now, the movements and the haunts of the adder are generally unexpected. Indeed, the serpent serves in the scriptures and in natural life as the symbol of something very subtle. and the unexpected attack. That's the reason the serpent, the snake, is used here as a figure of speech. The unexpected fear. The snake rarely gives warning, usually strikes from the place of hiding. Once again, in this figure of language, this figure of speech, we have the very real picture of the... unexpected fears which confront us in our daily life. Oh, we start the day careful, optimistic. The sun is shining. We could just conquer the whole world. And then, wham, something happens. The unexpected happens. And we're thrown in the very depths of despair. paralyzing our spirits with despair. And so we have the lion and the adder. Let's go to the third enemy, the unfounded fear. Thou shalt tread upon the drag. Now this... Much described beast is only a creature of the imagination. No one has ever seen a dragon. That's right. Oh, sure. In the children's storybooks, often the dragon is spoken of. Every little youngster will talk about the dragon. And yet, no one has ever seen a dragon. The dragon doesn't exist. And that's the reason the dragon is used as just a figure of speech here. How many people have come time and time again to me to share their fears of what never happened. It's only things that they are afraid might happen. It's therefore a good thing to ask ourselves sometimes. Of what are we really afraid? Do our fears actually exist? Or is it that we have allowed our imaginations to run riot? It's important to recognize that fear is faith in reverse. Faith creates in the realm of the positive. Faith blesses. Faith makes us a blessing. Whereas fear creates in the realm of the negative. Fear disturbs. Fear depresses. And ultimately, fear will destroy. And you cannot have faith and fear in the same heart. One or the other will have to go. If there is fear, there cannot be faith. your heart and mind is filled with faith, it will crowd out the fear. Right now, look yourself directly in the face and say, what is it that I fear? Why do I fear this thing? Let's be practical. You've got to face your enemy. You'll never have victory until you face the thing. It isn't something you can just push aside. Send in a prayer request and say, Oh, please, Ms. Kuhlman, pray because I'm being mastered by fear. Instead, you, through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith in him, can conquer, can be the master over every fear in that life of yours. How to conquer your fears. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Now, the person referred to in this verse, as the conqueror of the lion, the arrow, and the dragon is Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament. And no one can read this psalm and be in any doubt about that whatsoever. We cannot cope with these beasts and these reptiles, but He can. The Son of the Living God can. The mighty Jehovah God can. He met them once and for all in the person of Satan when he died on Calvary's tree. And you and I are not only conquerors, we are more than conquerors over all of these things through Christ Jesus, who was the mighty conqueror when he died on Calvary. You don't have to be defeated on a single score unless you consent to be. You do not have to be mastered for one minute by those fears. Know that. To trust him as resurrection life is to conquer the undisguised fears. Listen to his words. Fear not. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. He holds the keys of hell and death. The significance of the gospel is that when Christ died at Calvary, he overcame these things that I'm talking to you about. Know that. The person who really trusts Christ as his resurrection life has nothing to fear when he comes face to face with death. His language is that of the psalmist who could exclaim triumphantly, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That fear has been conquered through resurrection life in Christ Jesus. To trust him as redeeming love is to conquer the unexpected fears. And the Bible teaches us that there is no fear in love. But perfect love casteth out fear. Therefore, to trust the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus is never to be afraid of the unexpected. As long as sins are forgiven and fellowship with God is established, there is absolutely nothing to fear. Nothing, I promise you that. To trust him as revealing light is to conquer the unfounded fears. Oh, listen to the words of David when he cries. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? To follow the Lord Jesus Christ is never to walk in darkness, but to have the light of life. There is no fear of the unknown. with god for he knows the end from the beginning in him and with him there's no darkness at all even in circumstances that appear to be dark we need have no fear with the lord by our side for his presence his very presence guarantees that we shall break in the glorious daylight before long. And so, beloved, the secret of victory over fear is trusting Jesus. One of the most frequent expressions on his lips throughout his life was always, Fear not. Fear not, beloved. Look up. You are not only a conqueror. You can be more than a conqueror through him who loves you.