The world is filled with various issues, causing people to get discouraged easily. However, a minister stressed that fear is merely the absence of faith in the LORD. Hence, Christians must resist the temptation of this unpleasant emotion by listening to God and remembering the victories of people in the Bible.
Michael Youssef, senior pastor of Church of the Apostles in Atlanta and executive president of a Christian media company, Leading the Way, recalled that Timothy, a young follower of Christ, became greatly discouraged due to a number of issues in the church. But Paul's words of encouragement strengthened him, enabling him to fight the attacks of the enemy.
The minister said that the enemy continues to deceive the people today by provoking feelings of discouragement, thus his reminder that Christians must cling to God, ignoring the "voice of discouragement."
"Instead, listen to the Spirit of God. Take out your Bible and read words of encouragement. Remember how God has blessed you before. Remember how He has protected you and watched over you and rescued you," Youssef argued on Charisma Magazine.
"The same God who rescued Joseph from an Egyptian prison-the same God who rescued Daniel from the lion's den-the same God who rescued you from your circumstances in the past-this same God wants to bless you and encourage you and use you again," he added.
The pastor went on to share Paul's advice to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, saying that God does not make His people timid but gives "power, love and discipline" instead.
Youssef pointed out that believers must recognize that the feelings of timidity, fear and anxiety are not from the Spirit of God but just borne out of man's "unstable human emotions" or from the enemy and his demons.
Moreover, he reminded Christians that the Holy Spirit is stronger than the enemy, citing 1 John 4:4.
"But the Spirit of God within you is greater than the spirit of fear," he also said.
Observing the irony of Paul's situation, being imprisoned in a Roman dungeon, while giving a message of encouragement to Timothy, Youssef highlighted that the apostle only wanted to tell the young minister that living in fear is worse than languishing in prison.
"If you let fear rule your life, it will waste your God-given abilities, inhibit your desire to serve God, paralyze your commitment to God, and impede your spiritual growth. Fear can damage and ruin your friendships, family relationships, and marriage relationship. Fear can undermine your health, disturb your sleep, raise your blood pressure, ruin your digestion, and shorten your life," he explained.
Though he said that fear is a normal emotion, which he felt himself during dangerous situations, the minister revealed that even in those moments, God was encouraging him to never fear.
He then enumerated the verses in the Bible, wherein Jesus was telling His followers not to be scared.
Youssef said that believers need not to be afraid of life, death and the unknown, reiterating the statements of Christ in John 14:6, Revelation 1:18 and Revelation 22:13, respectively.
In conclusion, the pastor disclosed that the remedy of fear is simply faith.
"If there is one thing the apostle Paul learned in more than three decades of walking with the Lord, serving the Lord, and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is this-there is only one antidote to fear: faith in the Almighty God who alone can banish fear from our lives," he declared.
"God is in control. He never makes a mistake. And His love never fails," Youssef further stated.
