The Healing Word

Announcer: The Healing Word Ministry on one place is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: You are really not your own man, you're really not your own woman until you are free from fear. And the only way to get free from fear is to go and have that terrible, terrible experience addressed by the word of God. And that's what we're going to do this morning.

Announcer: Welcome to the Healing Word, a radio ministry of the Largo Community Church. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: Fear is nothing new. Fear has plagued mankind ever since mankind. It is nothing new. And not there there are so many people in the world today experiencing fear. Literally, listen to me, paralyzed by fear. There are certain things they will do, but there are certain things they will not do. They will stay away from because fear won't allow them to do it. You see, when that happens, you become a slave or a prisoner to your fears. That means fear is your boss, is your master. You do what fear will let you do, and you will not do what fear will not let you do.

So, you're really not your own man, you're really not your own woman until you are free from fear. And the only way to get free from fear is to go and have that terrible, terrible experience addressed by the word of God. And that's what we're going to do this morning. We're going to look at the word of God and believe and receive a tremendous blessing. See, every emotion and every appetite that a person has has been given to us by God, even the emotion of fear. But when fear becomes dysfunctional and it begins to control us to do things or not do things that we want to do or we don't want to do, then then fear uh has taken over and fear is controlling us.

We don't want to be controlled by fear. We want to be controlled by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and live the abundant life that the Lord has given us. Now, listen, the scripture says, Jesus says, he that the son sets free is free indeed. He is a liberating, freeing God. He forgives our sins. He liberates us from evil habits, bad habits. He takes fear out of our lives. God can do and will do anything and everything that we can't do for ourselves, provided we seek him and ask him to do it. Then there's bad fear.

Bad fear is fear, fear gone crazy, fear out of control. Fear is the most negative of all emotions. I'm talking about something that is very real, something that has is hurting a lot of people. It is the most powerful of all negative emotions. Faith is the most powerful of all positive emotions. But fear, people are afraid they're going to get sick and they're well and they're healthy. There's no sign of sickness, but they're just afraid. People are afraid, I'm going to get cancer. Had a man one day, every time there was an ache in his body, he would say, do you think that's cancer?

Is that cancer? Could that be cancer? People are afraid they're going to have a heart attack. They've never had a heart attack. No sign of it at all. People are are are afraid of the future. Afraid they can't control the future. Afraid of tomorrow. What's going to happen? What's ahead? What might happen? People are afraid of being lonely. Oh, I could go on and just name a whole list and and so could you. Fear taking over, fear controlling. That's bad fear. And then there's godly fear. We read in the scripture that we are to fear the Lord.

The scripture says in Proverbs, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, simply meaning a reverential awe and worship and obedience to God. Yes, we are to fear God. Listen, friend, we are not to trifle with God's word. We are to obey all of it because when we don't, there are consequences. Just like going down that crime-ridden street. Hey, we're taking things in our own hands, but when we let the word of God take us in and we take the word of God in, our lives are going to be blessed. There's not a thing in the Bible from God but to our that but is directed to our good and to helping us.

So, there are these three categories. Okay, we're going to talk about bad fear this morning. Fear can be removed. That's the good news. Can you say good news?

Guest (Male): Good news.

Pastor Jack Morris: Fear can be removed. And I know I'm talking to somebody today or God wouldn't have given me this message. Somebody's going to have a great deliverance today. I believe it in my heart. How do we overcome and remove fear from our lives? Fear and faith, these are the two great emotions. Them two most powerful emotions in the world. And either one of them can cancel out the other. If you have faith and your faith is growing, then the fear is going to go away. But when fear comes in, faith goes away. So, here they are at odds with each other, these two great emotions and one canceling out the other.

Now, when I talk about faith today, I'm talking about dependency upon our Lord Jesus Christ, depending upon him. We can't remove fear. There's no way to get it out of it. No counseling, no psychologist, no psychiatrist, no pill, no nothing can take it away. But there is one who can, and I know him and you know him. He What's his name? Jesus. Jesus is the one. Jesus. Here's how faith works with fear. Faith looks fear in the eye and doesn't run away from it. Don't cow down before that fear. Whatever that fear is, don't cow down before it.

Look it in the eye and call it what it is. You are a tormenting fear and I'm sending you back to where you came from. Talk to that fear. That fear has intelligence. That fear is working on your psychic. Fear, talk to it. Here here's here's an example. You know the story of David and Goliath. One of the most popular stories in the Bible. Sunday school children all know it. David directed by his father takes food to his brothers who are in the army of Israel. Here is the army of Israel on one side of a mountain.

Here are the armies of the Philistines on the other side of a mountain. And in between, there's a brook or a valley. Two times a day, this big giant, 9 ft tall, ugliest sin would come out on his side of the mountain and call over to the Hebrews on the other side of the mountain and say, you send me a man and if I kill him, then you'll be our slaves. But if you, that man, kills me, then the Philistines will be Israel's slave. Two times a day. So, Israel's armies would go out, stand on the side of the mountain and hoop and holler until that big ugly giant would come out.

And when that big ugly giant came out, the people of Israel, the army of Israel, would run behind the rocks and the trees and cow down and hide. That went on day after day after day. So, here comes David. He's only a teenager. We're guessing that he's maybe 16 or 17 years old. He hasn't fully physically developed. But I tell you again, when you get a teenager on fire for God, that teenager with faith in God can move mountains. I'm thankful for our teenagers. I'm thankful when they go to snow camp. I am thankful when they when they go to um summer camp.

I'm thankful when they have a service back here. We need to pray and get our teenagers more involved. Well, here comes this teenager, David, with food. And while he's there feeding his brothers who are in the army of the Philistines. Now, David's father, Jesse, had about eight sons. Three of the sons had been drafted into the Israeli army. Well, while David was there, out comes that giant defying the armies of Israel. And David turns and looks he said, who is that uncircumcised Philistine that he would talk that way about my brothers, about my people? Friend, everyone here has a people.

I'm so thankful you're my people. I'm your people. And here comes that big giant and David said, uh I'm not afraid of him. Here's a little 16 year old teenager. I'm not afraid of him. And Saul said, well, here, put my armor on. I'll let you go fighting. He put the armor on. He said, I can't fight with all this paraphernalia. He said it's just too much. So, David goes down to that brook in that valley, takes five smooth stones. He comes out on his side of the mountain. That afternoon, that giant came out and that giant starts walking toward David.

Do you know what David did? Well, the armies of Israel turned when they saw that giant coming and ran and hid. The Bible says that David charged him. Now, that's what you do with your fears. You don't run and hide. You don't stop doing what you used to do, but you don't do anymore because fear won't allow you to do it. You look at your fear in the eye, you charge your fear and you overcome your fear. David took one of those stones out of his bag and he he told that that giant what he was going to do to him.

Now, that that was prophetic. He said, I'm going to Bobby will use my words. I'm going to bring you down. When I bring you down, I'm going to chop your head off. You see, that's what you do to a snake. That's what you do to fear. You you hit it where it's where it is killed. You you bring death to it. He said, you came out and defied the armies of God. These are God's people. Friend, listen to me. You're a child of God. Fear has no place in you. You're a child of God. And that giant came out and defied them.

These are the people of God. You can't talk that way about God and you can't talk that way about God's people. Friend, you know, we need to stick up for one another. Oh, my. Yeah, we're brothers and sisters in the Lord. And David charged that giant and he let loose with that stone and the Holy Spirit grabbed that stone and took it right over and put it right between that giant's eyes. And that big 9-footer fell down. All because a teenager believed God and could move a mountain and kill a giant. Friend, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that fear that is enslaving you can be killed and you can be delivered delivered today.

Okay, do you know who you are in here who has fear? Don't raise your hand. But it's for you. This message is for you because God loves you, he cares for you, and he wants one master in your life, himself. He wants you to know him, be loved by him. Did somebody say amen? Friend, I'm talking about something that is very real today. Let me tell you another Bible story. The disciples were in a boat. Jesus comes walking to them on the water. The disciples thought they saw a ghost. But Peter speaks out and he said, Lord, if that's you, you bid me come.

And Peter got out of the boat at the invitation of the Lord. One word, come. That's all he said. That's what the that's the word the Lord's using today. Come. Come to me. Peter got out of the boat and he walked above his fears. The fears were under his feet. He walked on the water. But then he had a relapse and he started to go down. Now, let me slow down here just a moment. Fear doesn't let loose easily. And when it does, it will try to get back in again. Jesus told about a man that was demon possessed.

And he says, when the demon is cast out, there's a void. There's an emptiness there. And that demon will try to find another place to enter. And when it can't find another place, it goes back to the person with seven other demons and re-enters. That demon of fear will try to get back in. But friend, God is stronger. Get your heart filled with the Lord. Know his power. Be filled up. You know, when a glass is full, it's full. You can't put anything else in it. So, get your life and let me get my life just filled with Jesus.

So, faith removes fear. All right, that's the first one. What's the second one? Scripture. Now, I have five points. Faith, scripture, prayer, love. And I'm running out of time. We've had a lot of going on in this service today and I'm running out of time and I don't know that I'm going to be able to complete the message. But it's the word of God that is sharper than two-edged sword. And you have come today for the word of God to do spiritual surgery and to cut that part out of your heart and out of your mind.

I'm talking about that fear. So, here is scripture. Scripture comes. Job said in Job chapter three, and I believe it's verse 25, Job said, the thing which I feared has come upon me. Friend, you keep thinking fear thoughts and that fear continues to take a hold and a greater, stronger grip than ever before. That fear will grow. It'll grow like moss until it's trying to suffocate the spiritual life that is in you. But scripture, what I'm saying now, read the word of God into your mind. Read the word of God into your mind. The scripture says, faith comes by hearing.

I just talked about faith. Now, we're going to build faith and faith is stronger than fear and faith is going to overcome and bring you victory. It's going to move that mountain that has been heavily resting upon you. Today you're going to be free. Faith is simply dependence upon God and faith grows when the scripture comes. The scripture speaks in Ephesians 5:26, the washing of water with the word. The scripture is a spiritual detergent. It will wash. It will wash. It will wash. That's why I preach the word. That's why we have small groups. That's why we have Sunday schools.

We want you and me to feel that cleansing power of the Lord and washed by the word of God. Let me read it again. Ephesians 5:26. You ought to write this down in your notes today. Ephesians 5:26. Ephesians 5:26. The washing of water with the word. So, take the scripture, memorize it. I have given you five of them today. There are many of them and I looked at this and I thought, well, David had five stones. Here's five scriptures. Take these words of God. Read them over and over. One man put something like this on the dashboard of his car.

And when he stop at a stop light or when he get in his car in the morning, he would read over these scriptures. Friend, you've got to fight your Goliath until you kill him. You're going to kill him with the word of God. And you're going to be a free man and a free woman because of the scripture, the washing of the water of the word of God. Read the word of God. The word of God is your weapon. It's sharper than a two-edged sword. Friend, you have weapons at your disposal. But unless you pull the trigger, unless you wield the sword, nothing is going to happen.

We can run and hide like the armies of Israel or we can fight back and overcome. This is a spiritual warfare. And we are more than conquerors. Did you hear what I said? Hey, friend, you not puny and weak. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us. Third, there's another stone, prayer. We can talk to the Lord. We can tell God. Psalm 34:4. Did you remember that one, Psalm 34:4? I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. That is Psalm 34:4. Memorize the course.

Memorize the scripture. Sing it over and over. Read it over and over. The word of God is a cleansing power from the Lord. When you pray about your fears, be very, very specific. Now, some can't be very specific because you're you just don't know what that fear is at the moment. But you ask God to show it to you and then you name it to him. Call Goliath Goliath. Call him an uncircumcised Philistine. Call him what it is. That fear of tomorrow, dear God. I don't know why, but I'm afraid of tomorrow. I'm afraid of the future.

I don't know what's coming. I'm afraid. Talk to God just like that. God, I don't know why I think I'm going to get cancer or cancer is going to return. But that bother that thought has been going over and over in my mind and I think about it I don't know how many times every day. Talk to God like that very simply, like a little boy or a little girl would talk to its father or its mother. Talk to God. Start naming those fears. And when you name them, God will cut them down. God is bigger than our fears.

Say that with me. Moses went to Pharaoh with the word of God, with the word of God. And what was the word of God that Moses took to Pharaoh? Let my people go. Say that, let my people go. Now, that was not Moses's words. That was God's word. Let my people go. Now, I believe this morning God is speaking to those who have fear. And God is saying to that fear, let my people go. That lady's my child. Let her go. That man's my child. Let him go. Let my people go. And Pharaoh wouldn't do it.

Do you know what God did? Did that stop God? God said and God did send a death angel. A death angel. Friend, God's going to win in you. If he has a send a death angel to kill that fear in you, but God's going to set you free and you're going to breathe freedom today because God's going to set you free. And God sent a death angel not to the people of God, but to the people of Egypt who didn't believe in God and didn't trust God. God sent a death angel. You see, God will fight your battles for you.

You cannot fight fear. You cannot overcome fear. Fear will fight you down and subject you, victimize you, and master you. But God will come to your aid and he's coming this morning. Now, listen what happened. They soon, the people of God were on their way to the promised land that flows with milk and honey. Now, that's a land that you want to be in. Am I right? You don't want to be in the the land of fear. You want to be in the promised land and the promised land Here it is, all the promises of God.

This is the land that flows with milk and honey. Friend, God can turn things around for you today and he will. But as I said earlier, fear has a way of trying to come back in again. Now, I have to close quickly today. I have to close quickly and I will. The children of Israel got to the Red Sea and fear tried to get back in again. They looked behind them and here came Pharaoh's armies after them. Now, again, here comes the word of God. That sharp sword that does spiritual surgery. Here's what happened. And Moses said to the people, fear not.

Fear ye not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. In other words, friend, there is nothing for you to do today but to look to the Lord in faith, to trust his holy word, to pray, and to love. And everyone can do it and it's easy to do. And Moses said to the people of Israel, just stand still and you will see the power of God. And those This is Moses still talking and I'm going to stop reading because I have to hurry. This has been a long service. You can only put so much in an hour and a half, friend.

That's just so much. We forget and then we do it again. So, but it's been long enough, right? It's been long enough. Okay, you've gotten what you need. Moses said, stand still and you'll see the salvation of the Lord. And then Moses said this to the people of God, the Egyptians that you see today you will see no more. Friend, you came in with fear, but you can go out free today. The fear that has tormented you and victimized you, you will see no more when you turn to the Lord and trust in God.

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Announcer: Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.