DEALING WITH FEAR AS CHURCH LEADERS

TEXT:  JUDGES 7:1,7, JOSHUA 1:5-9.

INTRODUCTION:

Fear is described as FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  It has been established that the word FEAR NOT appears 365 times in the Bible.  By inference, given 365 days in a calendar year, to every true child of God including those saddled with leadership responsibilities, the word of God is fear not for each day in a year – Is. 43:1-3.

Leadership is quiet exciting. It is a platform to transform people and situations through quality service.  It is an opportunity to impact lives through the impartation of inspiration and encouragement.  But as rewarding as leadership is, leaders at all levels, secular and spiritual are sometimes assailed by fears.

The first charge God gave Joshua after assuming leadership role further to the home call of Moses was to be courageous and fearless Josh. 1:5-9.  Like Joshua in his days, leaders today are bedeviled with (A) Fear of Failure (B) Fear of making wrong decisions (c) Fear of criticism (d) Fear of being misunderstood (E) Fear of Persecution  (F) Fear of rejection (G) Fear of the unknown  (I) Fear of  displeasing people (J) Fear of stepping on toes etc

DANGER

Many leaders on account of FEAR

• Abandon their dreams and God given visions
• Put a bar of limitation upon their potential
• Get crippled in enthuasiasm and allow irrational thinking sets in.
• Terminate their journey to destiny and divine destination.

THE GIDEON STORY – Judges 7:1-7; 2 Kings 6:16

The fearful were excluded from the divine assignment given to Gideon to avoid defeat and disappointment.  They were not part of the testimony of the wining TEAM.

HOW TO DEAL WITH FEAR

1. Find out the root
2. Confront the fear – Eph. 6:12-18
3. Focus on the vision (Divine vision) and avoid satanic distractions
4. Pay attention to details unto a clear conscience
5. Explore the power of imagination EVEN IF – Dan. 3:16-18
6. Stay on the Lord’s side, only be moved by God’s word.  Let God have the final say – Josh. 1:8.
7. Be determined and be courageous in faith and action.

CONCLUSION

Faith is the opposite of fear.  Fear has torment.  The Church of God is a faith movement.  To possess our possession we must constantly meditate on our portions in the Lord as contained in the Bible and not the prevailing fearful conditions, for WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE and WE ARE ABLE – Num. 13:30-end.  Psalm 27 vs 1-End as linked to David in the time of his trouble is instructive and applicable to Church leaders in the face of fear.