Have no Fear - Be Full of the Holy Spirit!

From http://www.awmi.net/devotion/jesus/apr_24 :

GET RID OF FEAR
Luke 8:50, "But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, Fear not:
believe only, and she shall be made whole."
MATTHEW 9:23-31; MARK 5:35-43; LUKE 8:49-56

Jesus told Jairus to "believe only," implying that faith and fear can
operate in us at the same time. This is also the reason James tells us not
to be double-minded, or to waiver (Jas. 1:5-8). Fear will negate faith. We
can have both thoughts of faith and thoughts of unbelief at the same time.

Fear and faith are opposing forces. Fear is actually faith in reverse. Fear
is believing something or someone other than God. Therefore, fear makes us
subject to Satan and his death just as faith makes us recipients of all
that God has to offer. This is the reason Jesus told Jairus, "Fear not."
Jairus' fear would have sealed his daughter's death.

Instead of trying to build huge amounts of faith to overcome our fears and
unbelief, a simpler method is to remove our fears by cutting off their
source. Then, our simple "child-like" faith that remains will do the job.
It doesn't take big faith - just pure faith.

Where does fear come from? Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given
us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." It
doesn't come from God. The way that fear is able to come upon us is that we
take our attention off of Jesus and put it on our situation.

Fear or doubt cannot "just overcome" us. We have to let it in. In the same
way that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fear comes by hearing or
seeing something contrary to God's Word. We would not be tempted with fear
or doubt if we didn't consider things that Satan uses to minister that fear
and doubt.

Satan tries to distract us with thinking about our problems. No problem is
too big for God. We should cast our concern about the problem over on God
and just keep our eyes on Jesus, the Word.

From http://www.jvim.com/ :

Ephesians 5:18,19 says:. . . *be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord*. One evidence of the filling, then, is a
heart overflowing with spiritual songs.

Another evidence is Holy Spirit power for witnessing . . . *ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you*: [the result:] *and
ye shall be witnesses unto me*. . . (Acts 1:8). Seek the power the apostles
had to witness as they bore ridicule, hatred, persecution, and death for
the Lord Jesus Christ. May I go one step further? I care not what you call
your experience with the Holy Spirit. However, do not pray for "*the
fulness of the Holy Ghost*" unless you are willing to become hated and even
slaughtered for the name of Jesus. This is where the power of the Holy
Spirit usually leads the sold out, dedicated, Spirit-filled Christian.
Let's look at the Book of Acts for a moment and see.

Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 (not baptized,
which takes place at salvation, but filled, which is subsequent to
salvation), becomes a power-laden giant for God. Earlier in his life - in
fact, only 7 weeks earlier - he sat by a fire denying the Lord (Matthew
26). At that point in his life, he was a powerless witness. After he
allowed the Holy Spirit to take full control and possession of his body, he
became a one-man army for the Saviour. Please notice that the texts to be
quoted mention "boldness" and "power" as the results of the filling of the
Spirit. These two attributes, which the indwelling Spirit generates in the
believer when He is allowed to have control, cannot be easily duplicated
"in the flesh." "Boldness" and "power" in the face of persecution and death
can only be produced by the blessed Spirit of God.

*The Boldness of Peter*

First, let's consider the boldness of the Apostle Peter. Acts 4 states: *Then
Peter, filled* [filled - not baptized, but filled] *with the Holy Ghost,
said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel . . . Be it
known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This *[Christ] *is
the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head
of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved *(verses
8, 10-12). Verse 13 states that these people saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and
John. Imagine the high priest and his relatives and a great multitude of
those who had put Christ to death gathered together as Peter denounces
their sin publicly and declares that this Christ they killed is the only
way of salvation! It takes Holy Spirit boldness to be uncompromising.

Are you seeking the fulness of the Holy Ghost for the same reason or
because it is the popular thing to do?

This same crowd hated Peter's message and threatened Peter and John in
verses 18-20: *And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all
nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto
them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than
unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen
and heard*. That is boldness, my brother! Did they quit? No! Acts 4:33
states: . . . *with great power gave the apostles witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all*. In Acts
5:40-42 they are beaten for the sweet name of Jesus and guess what?. . . *they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name.* Did it stop them? *And daily in the
temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ
*. The only thing that stopped these Spirit-filled warriors was death.
Beloved, to be filled with the Spirit is to die daily (Luke 9:23).

*The Power of Paul*

In Acts 9:17, Paul, too, was filled with the Spirit -not baptized, but
filled. He was baptized by the Spirit at salvation, as all believers are (I
Corinthians 12:13), and then filled as all believers should be (Ephesians
5:18). This filling prepared him for the Lord's plan: . . . *I will shew
him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake* (Acts 9:16). Has
anyone ever suffered as much as Jesus or Paul? This battle-scarred apostle
enumerates his sufferings in II Corinthians 11:23-27: . . . *in labours
more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in
deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered
shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often,
in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own
countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in
the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in
weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness*.

Why was he so hated? Because. . . *he went into the synagogue, and spake
boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things
concerning the kingdom of God* (Acts 19:8); because his preaching caused an
uproar in the city (Acts 20:1); and because he called sin and sinners by
name. In Acts 13:9,10 we see Paul filled - get the exact word -filled with
the Spirit, setting his eyes on Elymas the sorcerer and saying: . . . *thou
child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to
pervert the right ways of the Lord?* A Holy Spirit-filled life denounces
sin in an uncompromising way. It also often brings death because they
beheaded Saint Paul. Stephen also experienced the same in Acts 7:55 when
he, being full of the Holy Ghost, BOLDLY exposed sin PUBLICLY and was
murdered.

Friend, do you want to be filled with the Spirit? Think twice before asking
Him to take full control of your life. It may cost you everything you have.
However, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. He said in Matthew
5:10-12: *Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you*
.
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*Pray in faith*

Then, too, we must pray with faith. Some people feel their faith is too
weak, but I believe, with the Apostle Paul, that God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). If our faith comes from God-if He
has provided it for us, then we have enough...and it is sufficient!

When in the midst of suffering and in need of healing, many of us may find
it difficult to receive healing directly from the hand of God. But the Lord
often uses other hands, other instruments to meet our need. Often healing
comes through the channel of doctors and medicine. Depending on such
healing aids is not necessarily a lack of faith.

An old motto I've heard suggests that we should work as though everything
depended on us, but pray as if everything depended on God. Perhaps this is
the perfect blending of faith and works endorsed by the Apostle James (see
2:20-26).

I thank God for the fine doctors and "miracle" drugs employed in my
treatment during my illness. But I am absolutely convinced that prayer
helped speed my healing by making my body more receptive to the treatment
than it ordinarily would have been.

I recovered with no lasting ill effects, no scars, no permanent damage.
Yet, another lady with almost the same condition, being treated by the same
doctor, with the same medication, did experience facial scarring and
ongoing trauma.

Is God really interested in our individual needs and problems? Aren't our
personal difficulties too small to bring to the attention of the Almighty?
Isn't He preoccupied with wars and cataclysmic events, interested only in
global and universal affairs?

Not at all! Nothing is too great or too small to bring to the Lord. He
knows! He sees! He cares! Oh, yes, my friend. He is listening...and He will
answer.

I know this-when our own strength and provision fail, prayer helps us tap
into an inexhaustible divine supply. And it is undeniably true that more
miracles are wrought by prayer than this world could ever imagine.

*The Holy Spirit intercedes*

Dr. Van Impe and I are finding that when we pray, the Holy Spirit directs
us and helps us to pray. We do not have to depend on long prayer lists and
"vain repetitions" that become meaningless rituals (see Matthew 6:7).

There are times when I feel so overwhelmed by needs or challenges before me
that I don't even know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit does-and He
ministers through me to touch the heart of God. Paul wrote, *Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought: but the Spirit* [himself]* maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered* (Romans 8:26).

There have been times when I knelt to pray and could only weep-I couldn't
find the words to express what was inside. I would cry out, "Oh God, I
don't know how to put this because I'm so burdened. " What a comfort to
know that the Holy Spirit went right on interceding for me with groanings
and expressions too deep to be uttered.

And sooner or later, as I waited before God on my knees, that deep peace
that passes all understanding would sweep over me, and my troubled spirit
would be at rest. Once again I would have the blessed assurance of knowing
that *all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose* (Romans 8:28).

My friend, what God has done for me, He will do for you. The Lord is ready
to minister to you in every part of your life. He is listening.

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