Why the Jews Did Not Believe

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WhyTheJewsDidNotBelieve.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 12:27-43   I.         It is a curious thing, the Son of God lived among men (John 1:14) yet He was rejected             A.        John 1:9-11 – Even among those who were expecting Him, those who had claimed to be God’s children, did not accept him.             B.        How can this be? II.        Because they…

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Can you calm my fears?

Question: To start it off: I am born half Christian and half Jewish, so my parents never really raised me on religion. We celebrate the holidays of both religions, but I never went to church. I personally do not know what I believe, and honestly speaking, maybe I do believe in God, but I am…

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Can you calm my fears?

Question: To start it off: I am born half Christian, half Jewish, so my parents never really raised me on religion. We celebrate the holidays of both religions, but I never went to church. I personally do not know what I believe, and honestly speaking, maybe I do believe in God, but I am not…

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I fear Judgment, but I’m not sure God exists

Question: I am not a Christian, but I force myself to believe in God because I fear Judgment. I always shiver and cry because I don’t know if I will go to hell or heaven. My fear is so strong that I became depressed and desperate for a few weeks. My grandfather is Buddhist but…

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Do Not be Afraid

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DoNotBeAfraid.mp3 by Dean Scarlet

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I’m afraid I will die too

Question: Life has been great. My anger has been getting to be less of a burden. But something’s been torturing me tonight, I even broke down and cried a few minutes ago. I was taken up with a fear that my life was almost over; that I didn’t have much time left. Then for a…

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More Fear than Faith

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014Spring1MoreFearThanFaith.mp3 by Brian Faulkner On Being a Christian

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You’re right. Christians need a healthy fear of hell

Question: During the five years I attended a church in my area, I never heard the preacher once mention Hell or God’s wrath, or the fact that Christians need a holy fear of God. Your “If I Don’t Preach on Hell” summary was excellent. Is a church that doesn’t preach the full counsel of God…

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I keep getting fearful of thoughts about Islam

Question: I am 17 years old and I have OCD. I have been struggling with thoughts that are really affecting my life. This might sound weird but I have thoughts about the religion of Islam and things that are associated with it, including the way they look and words such as Muslim, Allah, Muhammad, etc.…

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I’m afraid to be alone at night

Question: I want to ask for your direction and advice, please. At the moment I am 26 years old man. I have my own small business and have this problem. I am afraid to be alone. I can’t stand to be alone in my home. If my family members go somewhere for a couple of…

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How can someone in Christ fear death?

Question: How can someone in Christ fear death? Answer: It would depend on the strength and growth of their faith. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4). “Inasmuch then as…

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Dealing with Hostility

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DealingWithHostility.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 16:16-40   I.         You know you ought to say something, but you also know it isn’t going to go over well.             A.        They just won’t understand, so they will turn on you – I Peter 4:4             B.        They are going to hate you for standing for righteousness – Psalms 69:4             C.        Instead…

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Why do I fear I’m going to lose my girlfriend?

Question: Why do I keep getting these bad thoughts and fear that my girlfriend is going to cheat on me or leave me? I want to know why. I pray and they go away, then they come back again. I want to know why. Do I need help or is there something wrong? I’ve asked…

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I’m afraid of growing old and dying

Question: I’m going through a time right now of fear and turmoil.  Fear of growing older and dying.  It’s a paralyzing fear that I can’t seem to shake.  I  know it has to be a lack of faith. I don’t want to fear.  I want to trust in what God has promised me.  I also…

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How can I improve in giving presentations?

Question: I am a trainer. I will be giving a presentation soon, but I am not confident. I am tense and get scared thinking about it. How can I improve? Answer: Fears exist because of unknown things. You aren’t certain about your abilities or the audience’s reception, so you imagine all the possible ways it…

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Can fear be a sin?

Question: I am trying to change my ways and live a better Christian lifestyle (a life more pleasing to the Lord). I know temptation will always be hounding me, but I know the Lord will provide me a way out. However, I want to know if fear can be considered a temptation? Like the fear…

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I’m afraid I’m going to fail

Question: My question is how do you be obedient? It’s like I want to do the right thing and I’m aware of what I’m doing wrong and have done wrong in the past, but I’m scared that I’m going to fail in doing the right thing in the future. I also feel like a failure…

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I’m scared to make a public presentation. What do I do?

Question: I need an advice: My group is going to present a project in school. She’s going to choose a student randomly so only one of us will present it. The problem is: I’m afraid to speak in public because my hands shake and I forget some things. I get afraid of what people will…

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How can I love God when I fear hell?

Question: How does someone learn to love God? I know what the greatest commandment is, but I don’t think I love God. I fear going to hell. If I didn’t believe in hell, I don’t think I would have become a Christian. Could I have truly repented? Was my sorrow only of the world? I…

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How do I deal with my insecurities?

Question: How would I go about understanding my insecurities and work on eliminating them or coming to terms with them? I realize that my insecurities negatively affect every relationship that I am currently in and ones that I have lost because of my issues. I don’t want to continue to carry them around with me…

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Why did Peter follow Jesus in Matthew 26:28?

Question: Why did Peter follow Jesus in Matthew 26:28? Is your understanding that the “reason” that he followed Jesus was only because he wanted to see what was going to happen?  Not to stand up for Jesus? Perhaps I should have explained that I am working on a lesson for Sunday morning and the point that I want…

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Trusting God When Afraid

by Wayne S. Walker “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3). Jesus told us, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). The fact is that “God has…

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Have you heard of Dr. Leonard Horowitz?

Question: I have recently discovered a man by the name of Dr. Leonard Horowitz. I have seen his lectures and his DVD “In Lies We Trust” and I have been telling a lot of people about it. This guy has done a lot of good for people and preaches the gospel too. I wanted to…

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I don’t know what to do with myself

Question: Hi! I’m a 16-year-old boy. I’m writing because I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve noticed you answer a lot of questions on your site. I’m not really asking anything, I guess I just don’t know what to do. I don’t have much of a life. I don’t go out much because…

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How do I get motivated?

Question: I am wondering how I can gain motivation to do things in life. I don’t think I am depressed, but I often find myself not having the desire to do certain things such as setting time for prayer or Bible study (though I read the Bible every morning), or serving at certain events such…

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How can I overcome the fear of being possessed by a demon?

Question: One thing that’s distressing me is, well kind of, a big problem ever since childhood. I have been scared of demonic stuff ever since I can remember and movies like “The Omen” just freak me out. There was a period of time when I was convinced that the devil was trying to possess my…

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Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/PerfectLoveCastsOutFear.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 4:17-21   I.         Fear is an instinctive emotion             A.        It arises from a need to preserve ourselves, to keep us protected.                         1.         Fears of job loss, serious illness, difficult problems may each cause us to fear.                         2.         We don’t fear when we don’t perceive a danger II.        Fear of the Unknown             A.        It…

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I really appreciate your words on the Fear of the Lord

Question: I really appreciate your words on the Fear of the Lord. I have been researching this subject and your article is among the best I have discovered thus far. Thank you so much! Answer: You’re welcome. I glad you found Brother Blackaby’s article useful in your studies.

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How do you build trust in a marriage?

Question: I thank you for the lovely rebukes and instructions. While the instruction lines up with the word of God, so do the rebukes. Perhaps I do need to be utterly disgusted with some chemical controlling my life. I Corinthians 6:12, I’m sure, will guide me there through a study of the Word and its…

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Teach Your Child the Fear of the Lord

by Forrest D. Moyer, 1989 When Paul had listed all the sins of the Gentiles and of the Jews and was summing up his argument as to why all need the gospel, he told us why there is so much sin in the world in these succinct words: “There is no fear of God before…

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My child has become fearful of our new house

Question: I love your web site! Please advise: I have a 5-year-old son who has two older sisters. They have all been watching the Disney Channel’s Halloween specials. I just found out how scary they are, at least to a 5-year-old! To top things off, we just moved from 800 sq ft to a 3,000…

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Paul’s Fears

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 7:4-7   I.         What causes you to be afraid?             A.        Most of us face fears at different points of our lives.             B.        Most of our fears come from things that we cannot control or things we cannot for see. More fear is born of our imagination than is found in reality.…

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