Bro. John Gabe
September 21, 2011

We all have fears.  Only of different levels.

Let us read 1 King 19:1-18:
"King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death. She sent a message to Elijah: May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets. Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah.

"Leaving the servant there, Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. 'It's too much, Lord,' he prayed. 'Take away my life; I might as well be dead!' He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, 'Wake up and eat.' He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The Lord's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, 'Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.' Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. There he went into a cave to spend the night.

"Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, 'Elijah, what are you doing here?' He answered, 'Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!' 'Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,' the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.

"When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, 'Elijah, what are you doing here?'

He answered, 'Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me.'

The Lord said, 'Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha. Yet I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel—all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol.'"

There is a story of a young boy who tried to tie his shoelace.  He was crying because he didn't know how until his Dad showed it to him.  One time, his father saw him again crying and asked him why.  The boy answered, "I am afraid because I will have to do it by mysel and no one will assist me from now on."

We are like the little boy.  We are afraid to be alone.  We are afraid of different fears.  Either internal or external fears.  We would like to reach the top of the pedestal, yet we are afraid that we might fall.

I had a recent counseling and pray over to a woman who's got fears in her life despite her wealth. I saw the emptiness in her life that comes from her fears. After the counseling, she gained strength and sought to continue what she has found and be victorious in all her fears.
In the Scripture passage that we have just read, Elijah has a strong faith in God.  He was a witness to how powerful God is. Yet, he still has fears.

A priest-friend told me that priests also have fears.  They are afraid that they might not meet the expectations of the people they serve. His fears are also my fears.  Being a preacher, there is this fear that I might not be able to give justice to the topic assigned to me tonight. I got nervous and got sick days before the scheduled talk.  Praise the Lord, I was victorious in overcoming my fears.

When I was in the healing ministry, I just pray over and lay hands and it is up to God to heal bacause He is the Healer, anyway.  But when I was with the deliverance ministry, there were fears in me.  People might say that I have become deranged.  I'm afraid to have a deep prayer because big trials would come my way. The fear is still in me, but I have to be victorious and have to overcome them.

Going back to the bible story, Elijah had to run for his life because he was going to be killed.  He called on to God.  Fear has to be faced because it could paralyze you.  Anybody who has fear even if he is on top of a pedestal will surely fall because of this fear.  Elijah alllowed God to manifest His presence.

If we are being attacked by fear of the enemy, don't face him in a drinking spree, in laughters or jokingly. Let's face him in our prayer life so we can overcome our fear.  There are some people who might say, "Lord, why have you forsaken me?"  St. Pio once said that it is we who have kept ourselves far from God. 

Once we have overcome our fear, we have to keep on guard for we do not know the power that will confront us the next time around. Remember, people of great faith are still faced with the challenge of overcoming different kinds of fear.

Let us always remember that whatever happens, God is with us. So if God is with us, who can be against us?  I always ask God to help me stand up if I can no longer have the strength. Psalm 34:17 says, "Righteous people cry out. The Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles."

Sometimes, we think that we are alone in this battle.  We need reassurance from our friends, co-workers, and servant leaders that, indeed, we can carry on.  It was the fear the Elijah felt, that of being alone and being hunted. John 16:7 says, "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."  The Advocate, the Comforter is with us.  This is the reason I am standing here before you.

All of us have fears.  And only you can tell where your fear lies. You may be afraid of the dark and all other things.  But always remember, you have an Advocate who will defend you in your battles. We are being protected. From fear, we will have an active faith.

Out of fear, Elijah went to the cave and hid himself.  What is your cave?  What fears are you running away from?  Where in your cave are you sharing with God your fears? God is teaching us to be honest with our feelings.  He is the only one who understands.  We are running empty and He wants us to be replenished.  He is giving us rest so we can be recharged.

Faith is meant to experience the very presence of God and set work aside so that we will not miss the joy of life.

Elijah was wrong when he thought that God did not do anything for Him. A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks. There was an earthquake, then came a fire, only to show Elijah that God is in control and he has nothing to fear.

The Lord will send people to help you, just like Elijah when he was instructed to go to Damascus and anoint Hazael, Jehu and Elisha.  Do not be afraid.

There are two things being accomplished today. God says, "I have a plan for you, I've got something for you to do." Let us listen to the people whom God will send us. We are not alone. We would have to run to an empty chamber. God is with us and He has overcome the enemy. God understands and will replenish our life, physically, relationally and spiritually.

I'm sharing you my favorite verse, Isaiah 42:1-5 : "Israel, the Lord who created you says, 'Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you. I will give up Egypt to set you free; I will give up Ethiopia and Seba. I will give up whole nations to save your life, because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor. Do not be afraid—I am with you!'"

What do you want? Heaven or hell?  If you want heaven, you have to face and overcome fear, and be a faithful and productive servant of God.