Overcoming Fear

Fear can be a bad thing but it can be a good thing to protect us from harm. Fearing crossing the street when cars and flying past is a good fear. But fear of man can paralyze us! Freedom is found through fearing God and not fearing man. What are you most afraid of? There are numerous phobias out there!

• Trichopathophobia - Fear of hair.
• Peladophobia - Fear of bald people.
• Melophobia - Fear of music.
• Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables.
• Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - Fear of long words (can you even pronounce that word?)
• Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter getting stuck to the roof of your mouth.
• Unatractiphobia - Fear of ugly people.
• Dromophobia - Fear of crossing the road.
• Pogonophobia - Fear of beards.
• Linonophobia - Fear of string.
• Clowns - Coulrophobia

Do you relate to any of these crazy fears? The truth is, many people are held hostage by fear. We fear rejection probably more than any other fear. Sometimes we find our identity on what others say about us instead of our identity being found in Jesus.

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Proverbs 29:25

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  2 Timothy 1:7

What Fear Does?

• It slows potential: Apathy sets in and you never take risks to step out because of fear of what others might say.
• It scars relationships: It leads to unhealthy dependence with others.
• It stops joy in our life: Cynical by finding problems in yourself and others.

How does the fear of God overcome the fear of man?

Our tendency is to usually care more about man’s opinion often times more than God’s opinion. The truth is, God loves us. We are called to be overcomers of the fear of what others think!  Jesus set the ultimate example of loving us through the cross! The fear of God destroys worry about what other people think. No matter what people say, we are accepted through Jesus! No matter if we are rejected by men, we are accepted by our Heavenly father!

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.  Psalm 34:4

Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.  1 John 4:18

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

We need to live for the Audience of One! I will be rejected by people.  You will, too, if you are following Christ.  The fear of man is a trap! You and I have an opportunity to cave into the fear of being accepted by people every day! God loves you so much that he wants to have a personal and meaningful relationship with you. Don’t allow the incredible potential of this journey to be sabotaged by fear. God wants you to be free of fear and filled with boldness.

Are you living your life to be accepted by men or for an Audience of One?

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

How to Become the Greatest

What comes to mind when you think of what the word "servant" means? Service is much more than just filling a “position” but a matter of the heart. The bigger issue is that you just may be missing out on something God has in mind for you by choosing to be uninvolved. We are all competitive in some way. What about being “first in line!” or beating others to the car by saying, “shotgun.” We live in a competitive world (sports, school, friendships, parents, image and more). But what about when competition enters the life of a Christian? What does the greatest person look like in the kingdom of God? The disciples had an argument of who would be the greatest. Jesus helps put everything in perspective:

Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35

The word “servant” can be translated as “minister.” There is a direct connection between our faith and our involvement in ministry and service.  Jesus was equal with God, all things were His, and He still humbled himself.

 What comes to mind when you think of what service or servant is mentioned? Service is much more than just filling a “position” but a matter of the heart. The bigger issue is that you just may be missing out on something God has in mind for you by choosing to be uninvolved.

How to become the greatest?

Considers others before yourself. Jesus portrayed the ultimate example of humility and unconditional love by even washing Judas’ feet (John 13:1-11). Feet are nasty! Jesus signified spiritual washing through the cross. A servant asks, “What can I do for others?” instead of “What can they do for me? Servant leadership invites a relationship.  Jesus didn’t come to be ministered too, he came to minister.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

This week, serve where God is nudging, and trust God to do what only God can do. Serving God is where the most growth occurs! 

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:43-45.

Youth Pastor Summit Highlights

This past Monday and Tuesday I went with my good friend, Tripp Battle to the Youth Pastor Summit conference in Orlando, FL. It is one of my favorite conferences! It is put on by Student Leadership University. Every year I'm challenged, encouraged and equipped to become a better leader. Plus, it is free! Thank you to all of those who made it possible for youth leaders to come and be encouraged! Here are some highlights from the conference:

Doug fields:  Learning to say no to "good things" so I can say yes to God's best. The biggest problem with the church is being busy. The warning lights are there. Being busy leads to burnout.  Am I living the life God has called me to live? Am I busy and calling it ministry?  Church life can add octane to the busy-ness of life. What gets sacrificed? Our heart, our joy and even our families.

Heartbreak propels the speed of burnout. It makes you work harder. Heartbreak usually comes when there is unresolved conflict, exhaustion and guilt. The pressure to be perfect is unbearable at times in ministry.

Warning signs:

• Constant clutter.
• Addiction to speed: Always wanting everything to go faster.
• Extreme multitasking. You try to do multiple things at once, not doing one of them well.
• Superficiality: Surface level because a hurried life leads to shallow relationships. The people who love you most get cheated.
• Relationship fatigue: "Vegging out in front of the TV" and ignoring your wife and family.
• Spiritual emptiness: Compassion is lost. You are tired to the point it erodes the joy in the soul.

Paul Turner: He shared about moralistic therapeutic deism that is running rampant in the church.

Misconceptions in the church: "God wants me to be good, nice and fair to each other as taught in the Bible and other religions. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about one's self. God is not involved in my life except when I need God to resolve a problem." Most U.S. teenagers mirror their parents religious faith. We can be in church our entire lives, learn about the teachings of Jesus and miss the person of Christ. We must elevate Christ!

Dr. Alvin Reid: "Missional Student Ministry." Most students do not have a biblical mind. We must live and think like missionaries. We must have a gospel focus (Luke 24). We assume they get it. We can easily miss what is most important. The gospel is not "dear abbey" but a life changing message that needs to saturate every area of our lives. We need less behavior modification and more of the gospel. Mentoring is more important than the events. Events are important but they must always be supporting the process. We should always integrate the student ministry into the whole church. Structure it around the gospel and being missional.

Dave Edwards: "Landing Truth." We need to re-elevate scripture to students. Dave shared his approach to studying and preparing messages. Here are 5 ways to land truth:

1. Flight Plan: What am I getting ready to do? Try not to be trendy. Be yourself. Don't over program the message (less is more). Be clear. Exactly what do I want to communicate? What do I want my students to know? Why do I want them to know it? What do I want them to do with it (takeaway)? If I can write the "takeaway" on a napkin, it is good to go! The leaner it is, the more powerful it can be communicated. If there is a "mist in the pulpit, there is a fog in the congregation."

2. Know the purpose of the flight: Are you on a bombing mission or leisure flight? We need to have different approaches: teaching, inspiration, devotional, spiritual warfare, etc. We must communicate in a way that people understand the purpose of the message. The tone needs to be used wisely in relation to the message. In other words, don't yell when you are talking about extending mercy to others!

3. Trust your instruments: Scripture is the source! Use concise passages of scripture, not a bunch of random verses that nobody can keep up with in the talk. We should "wring out" every ounce of the text in order to unpack the truth. It is important to have a "trigger" to every talk that explodes inside of you. It is what brings it to life inside of the communicator. Bad preaching speaks on "top" of the passage but unpacking God's Word unleashes the truth out of the pages and into the hearts of the people. Always use honesty and share personal stories of how the passage has impacted your life.

4. "EIA" It: Always do three things in a talk: Explain the passage in light of the point you are making. Apply it as many ways as I can. Illustrate it. Your illustrations are your personality on fire! Try to have bullet statements that can be applied from the message. Always try to answer objections in the minds of the audience.

5. Know how to land the plane successfully: It is all about bringing the truth home in a clear, understandable way. Does the message lead to a decision? Land the truth of God's Word so that the Holy Spirit can move in the hearts of the listeners!

Thanks again to Jay Strack and the SLU team and all the sponsors for making the youth pastor summit possible!