Eagle Heights Cathedral

Guest (Male): Hallelujah. Good morning, Eagle Heights family. Bishop and Lady Brenda have been at a pastors' retreat and conference all week long in Chicago. It’s a conference that's hosted by Pastor Nufio, who's of Guatemala. He has spoken here. Bishop and Lady Brenda have been ministering and teaching at the conference, so he left us with an outline. The title of the outline is "Overcoming the Spirit of Fear."

Praise God. We're coming at you with a dual threat in both services. In the first service, we're doing it with Pastor Justin. Second service, we're doing it with Pastor Mitchell. I already prayed to God. I said, "God, help us." Matter of fact, can everybody say, "Happy birthday, Pastor Justin"? Today is Pastor Justin's birthday. He's getting younger. Praise God.

Father, we give You glory, honor, and praise. We worship You. We bless Your mighty and holy name. To You be all glory. Father, thank You. Thank You. Thank You. We're nothing but clay. Father, do what You do. I pray that Your word will penetrate. Father, break fallow ground in the name of Jesus. To You be all glory. Father, take over this atmosphere. Holy Spirit, total surrender to You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. If you believe that, can you say "Amen" with me?

Amen. Praise God. You may be seated. I'm going to read the opening scripture. I'm going to do it anyway as I was praying. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 3 through 7. Here's what the letter says to Timothy from Paul. "I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded it's in you also."

He says, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Can somebody say "Amen" to that? Paul's relationship with Timothy was not ordinary. Paul had become Timothy's spiritual father, his mentor, and actually his ministry partner.

Now, as a young pastor, Timothy oversees the church in Ephesus. While the church was facing persecution from the outside, it had to be refuting false teaching from the inside. Paul encourages Timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in him and to hold on to the genuine faith that Paul says, "I know that it's inside of you." For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Given the circumstances Timothy was battling, he was battling fear, and the Apostle Paul is encouraging this young man to stand his ground and to hold on to his faith in God. In your outline, there are two kinds of fear that exist in this world. The Bible distinguishes between the two, and the two are very different kinds of fear. These two fears are not the same, and they serve different purposes.

While one fear relates directly with a person's wisdom and understanding and their relationship with God, a spirit of fear is diametrically in opposition and it operates under the premise of sin. These fears are constantly working and they are opposing forces. They are unlike, they're conflicting, they're contrary. They are completely different from each other. As believers, if we're honest, we wrestle with these fears throughout our lives.

But if we're going to overcome a spirit of fear by God's command, we are called to fear the Lord. In your outline, first of all, there is a commanded fear. Let me start by saying when we say commanded fear, what we're referring to is the fear of the Lord. In Deuteronomy 6:13, the Bible says, "You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take your oaths in His name." You shall fear, serve, and take your oaths in His name.

Moses spoke these words to the Israelites as they were preparing to enter the promised land. Moses is reminding them of God's command. "You shall fear the Lord and serve Him and Him alone, and make your oaths," meaning your commitments in His name. In this passage, the relationship between God and His people is made up of three critical components: fear, service, and commitment.

Moses is also reminding God's people the fear of God not only occurs in the presence of God, but the fear of God must be cultivated. Don't lose me. The term fear in this context does not mean terror. It's not the fear we're talking about, but rather a deep respect and reverence for God's majesty and holiness. Commanded fear speaks to a healthy fear that motivates the believer to live in accordance with God's will, recognizing His power and His authority.

Secondly, the term "to serve" signifies a life that is engaged in worship and in obedience. Serving God is beyond attending services. It is a call of living a life that reflects God's character and values. To make an oath in God's name, this speaks to the integrity and the faithfulness of our commitments. In other words, the declarations you and I make ought to reflect our relationship with God.

By way of commanded fear, we are encouraged to cultivate a life that develops the fear of the Lord and that honors our God. In your outline, in Ecclesiastes 12, Solomon wrote, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it's good or whether it's evil."

In Proverbs 10:29, Solomon continued, he writes again, and he says, "The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come for the workers of iniquity." Other than Jesus, Solomon is one of the wisest men to have walked on the face of this earth. After he tallied everything in his wisdom, he tallied everything about this thing we call life. Solomon concluded that the ultimate purpose in life is to fear God and to live with a conscious awareness.

Everything we do in life, whether it's hidden or whether it's visible, will someday be judged by the Lord. Can somebody say "Amen"? It's too quiet in here right now. This is the same man who said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I believe that Solomon found out you can't conjure up fear for the Lord, as hard as you try. Fear begins with what the heart believes is greatest. Don't miss me.

For the believer, the fear of the Lord begins when you start to draw near to God. Our heavenly Father wants us to draw near to Him. In fact, in James 4:8, it is written, "Draw near to God and He will draw nigh to you." When you find yourself in the presence of God, His glorious presence commands a holy fear. The closer your proximity to God, the greater the reverence.

Is there a witness inside this house? Does somebody know what I'm talking about? Let me be clear, then. God commands fear because you and I cannot serve God without the fear of God. Commanded fear must be cultivated. The Bible commands us to fear God because the fear of the Lord produces reverence, worship, humility, and even an awe. Can somebody say "Amen"? It's too quiet in here. I hope I got somebody that understands what I'm talking about. When you come before the presence of God, commanded fear comes by spending time and by the way of seeing Him.

Commanded fear, God commands fear because the fear of the Lord says God is holy. It says He's faithful and He's worthy of my complete trust. While a spirit of fear says God can't take care of me, I'm trying to tell you the Holy Spirit produces a holy fear and a confidence in the presence of the Lord. God commands fear, but He does not produce a crippling type of fear.

This is why the scripture commands us in Isaiah, "Fear not," God says. In Joshua 1:9, Pastor Mitchell said it: "Be strong and be courageous," says God to the man. In John 14:1, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." There was an ungodly fear in all these men that received this word, and that's why God is commanding fear to them, holy fear. This is precisely why the fear of the Lord has to be cultivated.

This is why when He spoke to Joshua, He said, "I need you to meditate day and night in what I've told you. Hide the word inside of your heart." In the past, some of you probably heard me say the soul is like Play-Doh. It can be molded, it can be shaped by the influences and the experiences and the circumstances of life. The condition of the soul is based on what it's fed. The enemy of your soul, the devil, knows this, and that's why he attacks, especially in opportune times. This is why the word of God reminds us that we are in a battle.

By the word of God, we're summoned to dress up for the warfare by putting on the full armor of God. If someone is thinking, "I'm not good enough, that's not for me," I come to tell you nobody's exempt. The fear of the Lord is a commanded fear for all creation when you stand in the presence of a living God. Yes, our role is to cultivate the fear of the Lord by drawing near to God. God is big enough and faithful enough to manifest His presence when He wants.

In Acts chapter 10:31, it provides a very powerful example of cultivating the fear of God. In this passage, the word tells us that a Roman soldier named Cornelius was a man who feared God and he had a reverence for God. The Bible says that Cornelius was a praying man, and that's his service part. He feared and he served God to the extent that the Bible says that even his household feared God. I'm talking to men. Men, when you fear God, something happens at home.

Cornelius honored his commitment to give to the poor, and by way of cultivating the fear of God, Cornelius had a powerful encounter with God. Here's a man that didn't know; he wasn't saved yet. He had only heard about God. The Bible says that while he's fasting and he's praying, whether it was an angel or Jesus Himself, I don't know, but a man that was in bright clothing stood before him and told him, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms are remembered in the sight of God."

Perhaps Cornelius saw Jesus in his lifetime, I don't know. Or perhaps somebody told him about Jesus. The point is that this man chose to believe in the God of Israel. As Cornelius drew near to God by way of fear and by way of service and by way of commitment, God drew near to him. Somebody needs to know that your fear, your service, and your commitments to God do not go unnoticed. God sees your reverence, church. He sees when you serve Him, especially you who serve in ministry. God is seeing it.

He hears every word you speak. When doubt suddenly strikes you, know that that's ungodly fear. "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any trees in the garden?" Doubt inciting fear. That's what the serpent said. "Did God really say?" No. Listen, somebody. Do not allow the incitement of doubt to take hold of your heart. Not only was Cornelius and his family saved, but they got baptized by the Holy Ghost.

God sent Peter, who was having a battle, and Peter found out and he says, "Whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by the Lord." God can't help Himself; He is glory. Can somebody say "glory"? That's His nature. When we come before Him, we come before the presence of His glory and there you will come before His presence and you will find that God's holy presence commands a holy fear. I don't have much time. Maybe I got some witnesses in this house.

I remember being in church services where suddenly the presence of God all of a sudden showed up and it took over this atmosphere. Once it took over this atmosphere, it did it in such a way that you could feel the weight of the glory. I don't know if you've ever been in that kind of service and suddenly when the glory of God fills the room, all of a sudden the fear of God comes inside of you. It comes upon everybody inside the room, whether you are a believer or an unbeliever.

When God's glorious presence fills the room, no one dares to move. No one dares to speak until there's a wave of praise and worship that begins to fill the room because you are in the presence of God. Can somebody say "Amen"? This is why it's a commanded fear. This is why Psalm 46:10, God commands us to be still and know that I am God, because this commanded fear encourages every believer to quiet their mind, to cease from striving, and to trust in God's sovereign power, especially in times of trouble and uncertainty. Trust in Him. Can somebody say "glory"?

Secondly, in your outline, there is forbidden fear. Forbidden fear is ungodly fear. The premise of this fear is sin. In comparison, ungodly fear is rooted in worry, anxiety, intimidation, and unbelief. If that's what's happening inside your soul, then you better get it straight because you are filled with ungodly fear. This is the kind of fear that seeks to paralyze your faith and keep the believer from fulfilling God's purpose in you.

It is this kind of ungodly fear that causes hesitation and discouragement in the believer. In your outline, we find Jesus spoke about this ungodly fear. In Matthew 10:28, He says, "And do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who's able to destroy both soul and body in hell." In Proverbs 29:25, King Solomon said, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." Run to the name. Run to the name. Run to the name.

I believe King Solomon is telling us that the Christian life is not about living without fear. That's not what he's saying, but rather it's about replacing the wrong fear with the right fear. As our reverence for God grows, our fear for people and circumstances and the future begins to diminish because we trust in the One who is sovereign over all things. In your outline, the Psalmist in Psalm 91:5, this is what he declared. He said, "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night or of the arrow that flies by day." Don't be afraid. The fear of the Lord says God is greater than my circumstances. The fear of God says God is greater than my circumstances. Can somebody say, "God is greater than my circumstances"?

But the spirit of fear says my circumstances are greater than God. Whose report are you going to believe? Whose report? Can somebody say "the Lord's"? Amen. Come on, Pastor Justin.

Pastor Justin: Good morning, people of God. Pastor Lopez, you're about to make me run. I want to be honest this morning. I almost didn't make it back. We almost didn't make it to you all this morning. Help me, Holy Spirit. This past week, we traveled to Tennessee and spent time with family. Help me, Holy Ghost. On our way back, we almost didn't make it. I want to tell you something this morning that the message that Bishop has given us is titled "Overcoming the Spirit of Fear."

Pastor Lopez has given us two types of fear this morning: a commanded fear and a forbidden fear. This morning, I want to go into some facts about the forbidden fear. If I'm honest with you this morning, this is something that I contained up until this past week. I want to be honest about the commanded fear. The commanded fear is something that the church of God has lost. We have lost the reverence, we have lost the respect and the commanded fear that the Bible has given us, the instruction on how to have.

I want to be truthful with you this morning that if our commanded fear was in alignment with heaven, then when it's time for us to worship, when it's time for us to praise, we won't have to be coached. We don't have to be pulled. We don't have to rehearse what worship and praise looks like because we know why we are commanded to fear. Now, our God is holy. Our God is faithful. I want to be honest. Our Bible says that He is the one who brings liberty in the midst of His presence. It says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

This morning, in your outline, there are some forbidden fear facts that I want to give you, and the first one is for the children of God in the room. Anybody in the room been saved? Has He filled anybody with His Spirit in the room this morning? If He has spirit-filled people in this room, you should lift up a spirit-filled praise. I don't know why it's so quiet up in here. It says that the children of God will lift up a praise. They will lift up a shout to let them know those who have not—come on, people of God, where are you?

I want to be honest. The first one that I want to give you, it says that forbidden fear is diametrically opposed to the nature of the child of God. If we're honest this morning, a lot of people look like children of God, but there is a nature that the child of God possesses that this forbidden fear goes against. I believe forbidden fear sits in rooms like this when we meet every Sunday and it begins to keep the mouths of the children of God closed.

The Bible says that I won't let a rock cry out in my place. I've seen Jesus ride on a donkey and that donkey was speaking if Jesus was asking. Let me ask you, have you been with the Lord long enough to find out that He is good, good enough for you to open your mouth? Have you been with Him long enough to find out that He is faithful, faithful enough for you to give Him a praise? Have you walked with Him long enough to find out that it's not by your power, not by your might, but it's by His Spirit and His Spirit alone? Is anybody in the room saved, sanctified, and Holy Ghost filled? Do you got a relationship? Don't let the person beside you keep your mouth quiet. If He has stepped up in your life, this is your time to stand on your feet and give Him what He’s due. Are you scared?

It says that this forbidden fear is diametrically opposed to the nature of the child of God. 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7 says it like this: "For God has not given us," who is us, the children of God, "a spirit of fear or a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and," I like this one, some say self-discipline, some say a sound mind. This morning, what we are seeing and what Paul is saying to Timothy, he's talking to Timothy in the midst of Timothy standing in persecution for the message that he was bringing.

People were dying for this message that Timothy is bringing. As Paul writes to him, he tells him that God is not calling you to be fearful. This morning, I want to echo to you all what Paul echoed to Timothy: that the spirit that God has given us is not a spirit to be scared. It's not a spirit to be timid, but it's a spirit to approach God boldly. It's a spirit to approach your situations boldly. Timothy is bringing forth a message that is not popular. Timothy is bringing forth a message that is not common. Timothy is bringing forth a message that many have died for, many have been stoned for. Timothy is bringing forth a message that many are killing to try to stop the message that he's bringing.

I really like 2 Corinthians 5:17. It says if any man be in Christ, then he's a new creature. But then it goes on to say that old things are gone and behold all things are new. I like the word "behold" because it means something has happened. There's a transformation, there's something that we got to look for. He says "behold all things are new." Jesus has given us a new nature. I want to be honest with you this morning. I get happy when I get to thinking about the nature that the Lord has given me because I didn't know how to obtain it on my own.

This week, I went home and I had some people who I have not seen in as we said in the South, umpteen years. I haven't seen these people in so long. To be able to hear people say, "Hey, God's hand is all on you. God is changing you. There is a nature about you that is different, Justin." If I know that people who don't believe can see it, then I know that the church can see it. If the church can see it, then the world can see it. Then I know God can see it. If He can see what He's doing on the inside of me, I say, "God, show me what You're doing in the earth so I can come into alignment."

When I step into a place of praise and worship, I want my praise and worship to come into alignment because I'm no longer fearful. There's a song and the songwriter says, "I'm no longer a slave to fear." Why are we no longer slaves to fear? Because we are now children of God. This leads me to number two of your outline. It says forbidden fear occurs when the child of God falls back to a slavery mentality. I want to be honest this morning. It's quiet in a lot of churches right now because the church, the body of Christ, has fallen into a slavery mentality.

When we read Romans chapter 8, verse 15, it says something that is very liberating. It says, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Now, when we look at God's chosen Israel in Numbers chapter 13 and 14, they experienced the Passover. They experienced the Red Sea. They experienced manna. They experienced the pillar of cloud. They experienced water from the rock. Just for a moment, think about your experiences with God. My grandmother would say, "Look back over your life. How has God shown Himself to you? Has He shown Himself to you in a Red Sea type of situation? Have you seen His power through the Passover? Have you seen Him show up in your life and only He can get glory for it?"

After all God had done among the Israelites, after all God has done amongst us, they still allowed the forbidden fear to become louder than the voice and the experience of God. They began acting contrary to who God had called them to be. When I look at the Western church, I say, "Hey, this looks like the church in America." We have forgotten what God did for us during COVID-19. We have forgotten that God saved us from things that we could not see. We have forgotten that dangers seen and unseen had a plan for us, but our God who is faithful, He kept His hands wrapped around us. He says that He has a plan and a purpose for us and not anything that stands in the way will block that.

I got a question this morning. Where are you in your walk with the Lord? Do you know that you're new? Do you know that your nature has been changed? Or are you still living in a place where the enemy is using fear to keep you stuck? The word "shock" is tied or attached to fear. I remember when I was young watching a show called "Fear Factor." We used to sit back and watch "Fear Factor," but when I think about the word "shock," it puts the believer in a state of immovability because fear is something that is diametrically opposed to who we are and it sends us back to a mentality of being bound.

John chapter 8, verse 36 says if the Son therefore shall make you free, then you shall be free indeed. I know that there are people who are in this room who have been freed from some things. When I say free, I'm talking about truly free from some things. When I look back over my personal life, I say, "God, You are good and Your mercy endures forever," because when alcoholism had my name on it, God said, "No, I got purpose for him." Come on, somebody. When drug abuse had my name on it, God said, "No, no, no, I got a purpose for him." Come on. When gang banging had my name on it, God said, "No, I got a different purpose for you." Did He save you from anything? Did He free you from anything? Come on, people of God, where are you?

Are you free this morning? Do you know that you're free from the penalty of sin? Do you know that you're free from the power of sin? Do you know that you're no longer a slave to fear? Do you know that you're free from Satan's dominion on this morning? You've been free. You've been free. You contain a nature that is a free nature because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Number three in your outline. Forbidden fear, watch this, weighs down the heart and disables the child of God from running with joy. It weighs down the heart and it keeps us from running this race with patience.

It keeps us from running this race with joy. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 says it like this: "Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us rid ourselves," somebody say, "let us lay it down," "every obstacle and sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with endurance the race that is set before us." Forbidden fear is a weight. Fear made an entire Israelite nation of people stop moving. Fear shocked them and stopped them in their tracks. Notice that Hebrews 12:1 does not say that everything is a sin, but it says that some things are simply weights. Some things are simply too heavy. When you check scripture and you read 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 23, it says that all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are edifying.

What are you saying to us in this particular scripture? He is saying that maybe everything may not be a sin. We have access to a lot of things, and sometimes we say, "If it's a sin, I'm not going to connect to it." But check your heart this morning and ask yourself, is there anything that is weighing me down? It may not be a sin, but it might be a weight. The weights keep us from running this race set before us with a joy. As the believers know that every sin is a weight, but not every weight is a sin. Forbidden fear is not wickedness, but it's simply not necessary for the race that God has called us for.

If you're going to truthfully run this race that God has for you, then some of us in the room today need to look the enemy in his face and tell him that I'm no longer toting your weights. What are weights, Pastor Justin? Sometimes we want to get our family members saved and we're toting the weight and the responsibility that only Jesus can carry. Sometimes we have bills and our finances may be stretched so thin and we find ourselves stepping outside of our relationship with God to make things happen instead of just waiting on Him.

What's weighing you down this morning? When I think about the goodness of Jesus and all that He has done for me, my soul says, "Let me lay it down at His feet because it's too heavy for me." When I think about the goodness of Jesus and every time that He stepped into the muck and mire and He pulled me out, I say, "Hey God, I got some weight I need to give to You." I don't know who in the room that's walking around heavy. I remember for four or five years, I walked around humped and slumped over because I carried things that were not meant for me to carry.

But today, I can stand up and look towards heaven. I can look towards the hills from which cometh my help and I can say, "Thank You, Jesus, because You saved my soul. Thank You, Jesus, because You brought me from a mighty long way. Thank You, Jesus, because when I called You, You answered. Thank You, Jesus, because every time I leaned on You, You never fell through." Is anybody in the room knowing that He's faithful? He says to lay down every weight and every sin that so easily besets us. Hebrews tells us to lay those things down to be able to run this race with patience.

Number four says forbidden fear is the alarm of misplaced trust in the heart of the child of God. Psalm chapter 146, verse 3 says, "Do not trust in noblemen, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation." Isaiah 26:3 says it like this: "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You." In Numbers 13 and 14, as we've been talking about the Israelites, they trusted in the wrong things. They trusted in giants, they trusted in security of the walls, they trusted in numbers of the military strength, but they forgot that the weaponry that they contained was not theirs that saved them.

They forgot that God Almighty was the one who was bringing them through. The moment that their trust shifted, fear began to sound an alarm in them. Peace follows trust. When your trust has been placed in the wrong place, so does your peace be placed in a wrong place. When I begin to lean on man where I know only God can suffice me, I begin to lose the things of God. When I begin to put man above God and in places where I should put God, I begin to forget who God is and where He has brought me from.

Some of us in the room, you're not as far from God as you think you are. You just need to put your trust back in the place that it's supposed to be. Does that make sense to anybody in the room? Stop trusting in mortal men and put your trust in the Almighty God above. Help us this morning, Holy Spirit. Instead of remembering the Red Sea and how He brought them through the Red Sea, and not only did He bring them through the Red Sea, but He closed it on their enemies, they forgot about that. Because fear rewrites your testimony and it convinces you that God hasn't come through before.

Israel, they had a resume with God that they forgot about. They had one bad report, and in that one bad report, it made them forget the faithfulness of God. When you begin to think about the diagnosis from the doctor versus who God the Father, Jehovah Rapha is, then you begin to place your fear above your trust. When your fear is placed above your trust, then you begin to look at God as a small thing and your diagnosis or your situation as a great thing. Bishop would say it like this: "Begin to magnify God instead of magnifying your problems, and you'll begin to come into alignment."

Does that make sense to anybody in the room? When your bills are too high, stop opening up those envelopes and sitting there worrying, trying to figure out how you're going to put something together. You don't have omnipotent power. You don't have a storehouse laden with gold. Call on the One who does. We got to put our fear back in the right place, but we also got to put our trust back in the right place. When our fear is louder than the voice of God, it begins to ring an alarm in our spirit for us to get back in alignment because the same God who carried us in the midst of our situation is still holy and He's still God.

I will say it to you like this. He didn't have to have no resume. He didn't have to go in and fill out an application. God didn't need an interview. He gave Himself the job because He's God, and He doesn't have to sit back and wait on you to give Him the situation. If He wants to take over, He will. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. So tell me this: where are you standing in front of the gentleman? Let Him stand in front of you and open doors that you cannot open. Let Him stand before you and open doors that man cannot close. Does anybody know that when you begin to lean on God and put Him in the right place, your life begins to align?

Help us, Lord. The question this morning is not "Is God able to do it?" but the question is "Will you lay it down so He's able to do it? Will you give Him the place to move in your life?" Forbidden fear and trust, they are one that has to have the other with it. If you take your forbidden fear and you give it to the Lord, you give Him your trust as well. I don't know what to tell you this morning as I'm done. Come on, Pastor Lopez.

I'll tell you this. Me and my wife and children, we were headed back this past weekend. We were headed back from Tennessee. Our GPS shifted in the middle of the night. We're in a rental car, and I run my phone on a GPS and then I put the navigation that's in the rental car. I put that on where we're going that way I can tell exactly where I am. In the middle of the night, my whole family is asleep and I am driving and there is not a light. The first, I can't see a streetlight anywhere.

As I am driving, I said, "Whoo, Lord, I'm glad I got enough gas because if my car was to stop right here, Father, nobody would find me." But as we continued to drive on, I began to call on the name of the Lord because forbidden fear began to knock at the door. As forbidden fear began to knock at the door, I looked over at my wife and she was asleep. I had to call on the One who doesn't sleep. As I call on the One who doesn't sleep, I begin to see something happen. I begin to see my whole family slowly waking up. As they wake up, and the next thing you know, we stop, we get gas, and I said, "Lord, I got to drive a little bit more."

So as we drive a little bit further and the next morning begins to arise, we begin to see that our GPS has been rerouted to take us through some mountains. Help me, Holy Ghost. Driving in these mountains, you can go straight. It looks like it's a hill. You don't know what's on the other side. You get to a particular curve. They're sleeping. Get to a particular curve, we make the turn, and run dead into a stop sign. Never been in any mountains before. Get to this stop sign, begin to drive on. The stop sign is here; the next turn is here.

I had been driving maybe 15 hours. We take breaks, right? We've been on the road for a long time. I take the first turn. Next thing you know, it comes another one. Next thing you know, it comes another one. Now I didn't tell you about this part. The mountains contain a fog that is so thick that you cannot see past your nose. I can't see the hood of my car. This rental car has been overtaken by the fog. I can't do nothing but pray, y'all. As I'm praying, glory to God, as I'm praying, the peace of God begin to just take over the car.

Glory to Jesus. I don't know, other than the glory of God guiding us home, how we made it. But I will tell you this, that at one point of the ride as the sun got ready to come up, I looked at my wife. I said, "You see all of this where you can look out? You can look out as far as you can see. You see nothing but mountains." I said, "Sweetheart, look down there," and you can look over the cliff into the valley. As we're driving, I said, "He's the God of the mountain and He's the God of the valleys." I want to tell you this morning, I came through the mountain to come and tell you that no matter how high you go or no matter how low, He will keep you covered. He will keep you there in the midst of His arms. The Bible says that if you put your trust in Him, that He will come through. Does anybody know if you call on Him, He'll be there? Glory to Your name, Jesus. Hallelujah.

Guest (Male): Glory to God. Part three, "Overcoming a Spirit of Forbidden Fear." So how do we overcome a spirit of forbidden fear? We already started talking about it. You cultivate. Can somebody say "cultivate"? When a believer cultivates the fear of the Lord, you gain confidence. That leads to trusting God, it leads to courage and peace, because your life gets anchored in God's character and in His promises.

Forbidden fear is the kind of fear that God repeatedly tells us not to embrace because this fear is rooted in unbelief. It magnifies the circumstances above God. Like we said, it can lead to paralysis and it can compromise and rob us of the peace of God and of His joy. Ungodly fear often grows when we forget who God is. This is why you must trust God more than your emotions. Oswald Chambers once said, "The remarkable thing about fear in God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, then you fear everything else."

When godly fear is cultivated, the commanded fear of God drives out the forbidden fear that has the potential to enslave the human heart. How do we do this thing? How do we overcome? Number one, you begin with God. The passage in Psalm 18:6 says, "In my distress I called upon the Lord and I cried out to my God, and He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him even to His ears." Psalm 5:3, "The boastful shall not stand in Your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity."

If you're going to overcome the spirit of fear, the first step is to bring that ungodly fear before the Lord. The Psalms teach that when we're in a battle and ungodly fear takes a hold of our heart, the first thing we must do is to bring it before the Lord, where God says and tells us, "Do not fear." This doesn't mean that the child of God will never experience fear. What it does mean is don't allow fear to rule your heart or keep you from trusting and obeying God.

Everyone in the Bible that operated in ungodly fear, they sinned and they lost, some of them lost their call of God. It happened when King Saul was removed. He said, "I was afraid of men, so I gave into them." It happened to eight fearful spies who didn't enter the promised land. They said, "We saw giants in the land and we were like grasshoppers." Peter denied being with Jesus in fear of his own safety, with an oath, "I do not know that man."

You see, the cure for forbidden fear is not becoming fearless, but it's coming back to God. If you magnify God even in the valley of Baka, even there, if you magnify God, you will know that God is bigger and He's greater than your troubles and your circumstances. Number two, remind yourself of the faithfulness of God. Lamentations 3, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness." Let me say it again. Ungodly fear creeps up in those moments when we forget who God is.

In our opening passage, 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul reminds Timothy, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 36, "Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, but Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Can I talk to somebody? Godly faith is uncommon. That's why faith stands alone. Faith stands alone as a fruit of the Spirit, but also as a gift of the Spirit. That's the realm where faith doesn't make sense to be filled with ungodly fear or with the flesh. It doesn't make sense.

This faith doesn't make sense to the ungodly. It doesn't make sense to the flesh. Can I ask you? What kind of faith cause fire to fall from the sky? What kind of faith waits for three days and then calls Lazarus out of the dead? And so what kind of faith enables a person to walk on water or feed thousands of people with a little boy's lunch? This is the level of faith that God is calling us to when we live by the commanded fear of God. I know it doesn't make any sense for some of us, but Ephesians 3:20 declares that my God is always faithful to provide abundantly more than we can even ask or imagine. Can somebody say "Amen"? God is faithful. He's able to respond beyond the expectation and beyond the needs. Can somebody say "Amen" again?

Remember the promises of God. Why? Because when you remember God's promises, ungodly fear and discouragement begin to give way to hope, and uncertainty begins to give way to confidence. That's why all of a sudden, peace came. In 2 Peter 1:4, the passage says, "We have been given exceedingly great and precious promises that make us partakers of a divine nature." In 2 Corinthians 1:20, we are reminded, "For all the promises of God in Him are 'Yes' and they are 'Amen' to the glory of God through us."

I'm not going to labor on this one, but all I know is that Joshua overcame fear not by letting go of God's promises and presence. All I know is that David faced Goliath because God had delivered him before. All I know is that Daniel kept praying facing death out of his reverence of God and to God's promises. This room right now is filled with God's promises. Right now, it's filled. Promises that have already come through and promises that have not come through but we're waiting and they're going to come through.

Can I suggest God is asking, "Do you believe my report?" Can I ask whose report are you willing to believe? Number four, how do you overcome a spirit of fear? Rest in the peace of God. As Bishop spoke last week, to everyone there will come a day when the winds of life will blow and when the floods will rise and try to overcome you. And then there's no way out. It's in that place that much too often we call on God to get us out, but in most cases God doesn't get us out. He brings us through.

When He brings us through by the power of His Spirit and by the power of His word, He gives us an uncommon peace. In John 14:27, Jesus promised. He says, "Peace I leave you." He says, "My peace I give to you." He says, "Not as this world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Evidently Paul had experienced this peace as he encouraged the church in Philippi. In Philippians 4:6, he said, "Be anxious for nothing." It reminds you of Jesus. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God." Bring it before Him. "And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, it'll guard your heart, it'll guard your mind through Christ Jesus." It's in those moments of struggles and chaos and worries that God says, "Be still and know that I am God."

To overcome, number five, you must ruminate on the word of God. Ruminate means keep reading. Keep pondering. Keep meditating. Keep praying over the word. Allow the word to shape your thoughts, your attitudes, and even your actions. You want to renew your mind and be transformed? Ruminate. You want spiritual prosperity and stability? Ruminate. You want strength to endure trials? Ruminate. You want to guard against sin and break that old habit? Ruminate. You want peace? Ruminate. You want wisdom and discernment? Ruminate. You want to bear spiritual fruit? Ruminate. You want the joy? Ruminate. When you ruminate God's word over time, the word moves from the mind, it moves into your heart, and then God's character, which is developing inside of you, starts to show on the outside. People know that you've been spending time with God.

It's scary to say things that God tells you up here. I'm just going to say this: somebody's got to get out of the way. You're in the way. You hit on it. You're in the way. You're trying to figure it out, you're trying to resolve it on your own. This is why the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:11, "Your word I have hidden inside of my heart that I may not sin against You." Here's the conclusion of the matter. You have been indwelt. Do you understand that you are a temple? That's what you were created for. You were created so that the Spirit of God lives inside of you. You are supposed to be inseparable to God. What shall separate you from His love? Not your love for Him, but His love for you. What's going to separate you from God's love? Absolutely nothing. Jesus' last prayer, what did He say? He said, "God, let them be one as You and I are one, that they may be one with us."

What can separate you? 1 John 5:4, "For whatever is born of God overcomes this world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith." Let me end by saying this: our authority as a child of God is not self-generated. It is given by Christ. It is not self-generated. It's not that you put it together. You're not the generator. You've got a God who is the One that's generating this thing inside of you. You can walk confidently, not because of who you are in yourself, but because in who Christ is and what He's already accomplished.

Because we have been born of God, we are no longer defeated by this world and we're not enslaved by an ungodly fear. Through faith in Jesus the Christ, the anointed One, we live in the victory that Jesus already secured for us. The prodigal was eating pig food when he suddenly remembered and said to himself, "Let me go back to my father." Before he could reach that final destination, the father did the running and he ran to his son, the Bible tells me, and he put a ring on his finger and he put a robe over his back. Because whom the Son sets free is free indeed. You have no right to be living in ungodly fear. No right. Last one: you have been given everything you need to overcome the forbidden spirit of fear. 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he that's out in this world."

Can somebody put their hands together and give God some glory? Let me close by telling you this. Let me close by telling you what this means. If you're a believer, can you raise your hand? Amen. The believer does not fight for victory but lives from the victory of Christ that has already won through His death and resurrection. I recently heard Priscilla Shirer. She said this. She said in times of war in the Bible, the king would pace back and forth in times of war while the kingdom was at war. So he'd be pacing back and forth, but then she said, "Then the king didn't stop pacing until the war was over."

Then she said, "When the war was over and won, once the war was won," she said, "the king would now sit on his throne because he would let his people know that the war has been taken care of. It is done." Let me say something. Once he sat on his throne, he was saying, "This thing has been won." I don't know about you, but the Bible tells me that the King of kings and that the Lord of lords right now, He is sitting on a throne.

He's sitting on a throne because the king sits on his throne. You don't have to face the world with spiritual opposition in your own strength. We can walk in faith instead of ungodly fear and we can walk in truth instead of deception, in confidence instead of defeat, because El Shaddai, because the Almighty God lives in every believer. Can somebody say "Amen"?

Bishop James E. Collins: I want to thank you for joining us today and for watching this message on our stream. We are flowing now from the worship of hearing and receiving God's word into the worship aspect of giving into the kingdom of God. As God has spoken to your heart, I pray that you're able to join us in giving and bringing Him His tithe and our offering. I want to share a little piece that's very interesting, that you might even find interesting.

People were asked how much money it would take for us to have enough money. Remarkably, every person said, "If I could have a 10% increase, it would be enough for me to live and have a comfortable lifestyle." I shared that with you because it's interesting that God says, "But if you will give me 10%," in Malachi 3 and verse 8 and verses all the way to verse 11, he talks about, "If you give me that 10%, you will have more than enough. There will be an overflow."

So why is that number significant in your giving today? The number is significant in that in your desire to live and have a healthy life, you want 10%. God says, "If you give me 10%, I'll make your 10% multiply in your life." So as God leads your heart today, I ask you to first be obedient to the Lord and bring that 10%, that tithe, and then let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as you give an offering above that. That will open the windows of heaven. I thank you in advance for your faithfulness in giving to the work of the kingdom so that we may expand God's kingdom. Let me pray for you now.

Father, I thank You for these that have committed this day to be obedient to Your word. Because, Lord, they understand that sometimes thanksgiving is merely an act of obedience. And since we are thankful people, we obey You this day to bring You Your tithe and to give our offering. We thank You in advance that You will open the windows of heaven, pour out blessing we will not have room to receive. We will be blessed spirit, soul, and body, and this we pray and believe for in Jesus' name. Amen.

Just lift your hands where you are. Though you may not be in this sanctuary, you become aware that we have words on this wall that are not just words. They are the biblical words from the very throne room of heaven. Let me speak them over your life. May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. God bless you as you receive it.