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Overcoming fear is essential in a speaking ministry. Describe and discuss both

attitudinal and practical steps you can take to achieve this goal.

Fear. It can stop a Christian from being effective for the kingdom of God. It renders a Christian impotent.

When God created the earth and heavens, He said after the sixth day that it was very good. Adam and his wife had fellowship with their creator without fear. It was perfect.

When Satan sinned and was thrown out of heaven, he set out to destroy God's work. He deceived Adam's wife, and Adam followed. Becoming aware of the consequences, they covered themselves and hid from God. Why did they hide from the One they had perfect fellowship with? Because faith in God had been distorted by the devil, and became fear. They feared punishment. Faith in God had become fear of God. God told them..."but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:17, N.K.J.V.). They feared death. The fear of death is the root of all fear. People express themselves in fear and death every day. "Well, that scarred me to death!", and "I'd die if that happened to me!" and "I'd kill anyone if they spoke to me like that!". Fear and death .

Satan distorted all good things. Life became death, faith became fear, good became evil, love became hate, unity became division.

Satan didn't really authorship anything, he just distorted what God had created and put foreword. Fear comes from Satan. He is doing all he can to the Body of Christ to keep it in fear. He does this, because a Christian who knows who he is and where he stands in God is Satan's worst nightmare. One who knows his place in the Lord, through the name of Jesus, has authority over Satan and his demons. They lose their hold.

When we make Jesus our saviour and Lord, we receive all He has done on the Cross for us. He has borne our sicknesses and diseases, our sorrows, our pain and anguish. All the devil has put on us has been removed from us by Jesus.

Is it unrealistic or impossible to live without fear? The answer is no, according to scripture. We have been redeemed from the bondage to fear. Romans 8:15 says this, "For (the Spirit which) you have now received (is) not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption - the Spirit producing sonship - in (the bliss of) which we cry, Abba! (That is, )Father!" (Amplified Version).

Barry Chant (1987:45) puts forth the following argument in his book, 'How to live the kind of life you've always wanted to live', saying, "If I come to Christ...and really believe...He has chosen me, adopted me into his family, redeemed me, forgiven all my sins, lavished His grace upon me, given me insight to His purposes, included me totally in Christ, sealed me with the Holy Spirit, made me alive and seated me in heavenly places and so on, how can I possibly need healing of memories or prayer counselling for past influences on my life? Such memories and harmful influences must now be rendered totally powerless."

Most of us fear failure in the present due to what has happened in the past. We produce fear by talking ourselves into not doing something because something might have the possibility of probably going wrong! We build up fear, only to discover that it was an air castle all the time. God tells us not to fear. It is a command. We must make a choice not to fear, but to trust the Lord. Moses was afraid to go before Pharaoh. God said that He would be with him. God would help him to overcome that fear.

" 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 calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." (Amplified Version). Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. I believe fear comes from hearing the words and lies of Satan.

The Bible teaches us to renew our minds, and not to conform to this world. By keeping the Word of God before our eyes, in our hearts and mouth, we can believe what God says about us. We are taught to "cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (N.K.J.V.). As soon as a thought comes into our minds that is contrary to the Word of God, we can either dwell on it, and then act on it, or cast it down, and get our thoughts on the goodness and blessings of God.

Kenneth Copeland put it this way. " Just as faith is confidence in God's ability to protect you, fear is confidence in Satan's ability to hurt you." (BVOV,Sept. 1995:4). When we go to speak in front of people, many thoughts can enter our minds like, "I look stupid", or "I'll say something wrong, and they will laugh at me". Who are we focusing on when we say things like that? Our self, and not God and His ability to be our strength. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (N.K.J.V.).

I have preached only three times, and even though the negative thoughts were there, I refused to bow to fear, and pressed on. Later, I found that what I feared had no foundation. It was that air castle again.

The more I learn about my salvation, and what I have been saved from, and the more exposure to people I have, the less the fear. As fear goes, one can go ahead and enjoy the ministry and calling God has on one's life.

The key to overcoming fear, then, is to have understanding of the work of Jesus on the Cross, and all that we have been redeemed from. We are not to tolerate the lies of Satan, and are to treat them accordingly. Some people can not accept compliments, and this must be overcome. The Bible teaches we are to build one another up. It is okay to be complimented. By putting the word of God in our hearts and minds and mouths, we can begin to see ourselves as God does. The more we speak before people, the more confidence one gets, and fear dissipates. God has redeemed us from this crippling 'disease', and given us His Spirit to help us to do what He has called us to do.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

*           Bingham, G.C., Christ's Cross over Man's Abyss., ( New Creation Publication INC., 1980).

*           Chant, B., How to live the kind of life you've always wanted to live., ( The House of Tabor, 1987).

*           Christenson, L., The Renewed Mind,. ( Kingsway Publications, 1974).

*           Copeland, K., "Free from Fear", Believer's Voice of Victory., Vol.21, No.9, September 1993, 24.

*           Copeland, K., "Let not your heart be troubled", Believer's Voice of Victory, Vol.23, No.9, September 1995, 2-5.