He had three separate businesses that were quite successful. He also had three capable business managers in each of those businesses. The largest business had assets of five million dollars. He placed its business manager in charge and gave him these simple instructions: "Run this business as if you owned it, but always run it in my best interests."

The second business had assets of two million dollars. He placed its business manager in charge with the same instructions: "Run this business as if you owned it, but always run it in my best interests."

The third business had assets of one million dollars. He placed its business manager in charge with the same instructions: "Run this business as if you owned it, but always run it in my best interests."

He told each of the three, "You have the ability to take care of my business. I have given each of you a responsibility that you are capable of handling. I will not be in contact with you until I return."

His trip took much, much longer than he anticipated. Twelve months later he returned home. Shortly after he returned, he met with his three business managers. The first one reported, "When you left, your company had assets of five million dollars. It now has assets of ten million dollars."

He replied, "Great job! You have handled your responsibility well. As of today, you are the chief executive officer of the company."

The second one reported, "When you left, your company had assets of two million dollars. It now has assets of four million dollars."

He replied, "Great job! You, too, have handled your responsibility well. As of today, I you are chief executive officer of the company."

The third one made this report. "I must be honest with you. When you gave me responsibility for your company, you scared me to death. You are a hard, demanding business man. You live to make money. You especially love to make money where you have made no investment. I was afraid of what you would do if I lost any of your money. So I was very careful to keep your business exactly as you left it. The company has not shown any profit. But I am happy to report that you have not lost one dollar while you were gone."

The entrepreneur became very angry. "You irresponsible, unmotivated, do-nothing manager! So you knew me, did you? If you were so sure that I loved money, why did you not make a profit and deposit it in a savings account to earn interest? You are worthless, and you are fired! And you can be certain that what you have done will be common knowledge in my business world! Have security escort him out of this building immediately!"

The third business manager was destroyed as the direct result of being afraid.

That is my modern version of Matthew 25:14-30.

1. The fear that produces anxiety, worry, and distress is one of the most powerful negative forces in human existence.
   1. That kind of fear changes the individual's focus.
      1. It is the kind of fear that dictates what you look at and interprets what you see.
         1. It gives you a very specific, narrow focus as you look at life and your life situations.
         2. It gives you that same specific, narrow focus as you look at other people, and as you look at yourself.
      2. That kind of fear also totally determines what you see when you look.
         1. All you see is what the fear focuses on.
         2. It determines your view, your perspective, and your perception of reality.
   2. Let me illustrate it in this way.
      1. On a perfect spring day you and a friend take a walk in the mountains.
      2. The trail takes you along a creek flowing through the hills, along some bluffs, to a water falls, and through all the colors of spring.
      3. Your friend is terrified of snakes--he is so afraid of snakes it took a great deal of courage for him just to walk in the woods.
         1. Because of his fear of snakes, he takes each step with his eyes glued to the ground--he literally looks for snakes 100% of the time.
            1. As he walks through the woods, all he sees is rocks, sticks, dirt, and mud.
      4. You aren't terrified of snakes, but you exercise appropriate caution.
         1. You see blue skies, birds, squirrels, a deer, breath taking scenes, and all the glory of spring time.
         2. You constantly take in the whole scene around you, and love it.
      5. When you both get back to the car:
         1. He is mentally exhausted, physically weary, and relieved that the horrible experience is over--he vows that he will never do that again.
         2. You are refreshed, invigorated, uplifted, and inspired--and you can't wait to do it again.
      6. The two of you were together the whole time on the same trail in the same woods in the same situation sharing the same experience.
      7. There was only one difference--one of you was controlled by fear, and the other was not.

2. The fear that produces anxiety, worry and distress is a spiritual liability.
   1. Faith can exist and grow where there is such fear.
      1. However, faith exists and grows in the presence of such fear only if the fear drives to person to greater dependence on God.
      2. If the fearful person becomes increasingly prayerful and involved in study as he or she clings to God, faith grows.
   2. As a general rule, two things are true.
      1. As faith grows, fear dies.
      2. As fear grows, faith dies.
   3. The role we allow fear to play in our minds and hearts will directly affect our spiritual strength or weakness.

3. For the first time in my life, I am not afraid.
   1. I was the first one in my family to attend to college.
      1. I attended a very small high school in a rural community.
         1. It had about 100 students in the entire 9-12 grades.
         2. The football team I played on never had enough players to have a two team scrimmage.
      2. I lived on a small farm from the time I was seven years old until I went to college, and had no experience in living in a city.
      3. And I was afraid.
   2. Two years after I received my degree from college, I entered graduate school.
      1. My undergraduate degree was in chemistry, but my graduate work was in Bible.
      2. I had to learn how to do a different kind of research in entirely different ways.
      3. I had to write papers unlike anything I had written before, and I had to write a thesis.
      4. I had to pass an oral test conducted by a panel of three very knowledgeable Ph.D.'s.
      5. And I was afraid.
   3. Joyce and I did mission work in Africa when we had three small children.
      1. Because of some legal requirements that were unknown to our mission group, the government completely closed our work for about six months.
      2. We were not allowed to have any contact with the over 50 congregations that existed or to visit with any of the Christians.
      3. The congregations were forbidden to assemble under the threat of severe penalties.
      4. We exhausted every possibility to resolve the situation and finally could do nothing but pray and wait.
      5. And I was exhausted and afraid.
   4. When you serve as a preacher (as is the case in most occupations), you are always given many, many reasons to be afraid.
      1. Once I worked for a congregation that had a powerful elder who coerced another elder to resign.
         1. He was not a mean man, but he was a controlling man.
         2. And his aspiration was to be the preacher.
      2. I once worked for a small congregation that had no elders; it functioned through a men's business meeting.
         1. As always seems to be the case even in small congregations, the congregation had two factions that strongly opposed each other.
         2. In one especially tense business meeting, a member of one faction and a member of the other faction got into a standing shouting match and actually doubled their fists.
         3. They were not mean men; they were just inflexibly opinionated.
      3. We were working for another congregation when we were expecting our third child.
         1. We were living in a small house owned by the congregation.
         2. The elders decided to add a much needed room to the house.
         3. I was openly chastised in an adult class for allowing the elders to make that decision.
      4. One of the closest Christian friendships I have ever had disintegrated.
         1. In that congregation, my close friend became my adversary.
         2. I never knew why.
   5. Everyone of those situations were sources of powerful spiritual blessings.
      1. They all provided different spiritual blessings, but they were all blessings for the same reason.
      2. Each situation moved me closer to God by creating the need to move to a higher level of dependence on God.
      3. In each situation, I did not realize that what was happening was a source of blessing.
      4. Only after the situation passed did it become evident that I had spiritually grown, and that I had been blessed by the experience.

4. "You said that for the first time in your life you were not afraid; I don't understand that statement.
   1. What did you mean?"
      1. I am convinced that in all of our lives there is an ceaseless struggle with fear.
         1. In some of our lives it is a very obvious struggle because we are dealing with very obvious crises, traumas, or problems.
         2. In some of our lives the struggle is invisible to other people--and we work diligently to keep it from ever becoming visible.
      2. In this ongoing struggle, we are commonly more powerfully influenced by our fear than by our relationship with God.
         1. In the context of our struggle, deep within we are convinced that the power of fear is greater than the power of God.
         2. Privately, we are convinced that what we fear can more easily and more quickly hurt us than God can help us.
      3. Rare is the Christian who has such a mature faith that he does not feel the frequent struggle within between fear and faith.
         1. It is common for a Christian to ignore the intensity of the struggle.
         2. Many Christians even deny that the struggle exists.
   2. When I said that for the first time in my life I was not afraid, this is what I meant:
      1. Since I have been with you, for the first time in my life I have realized how often in the past that fear was a significant factor in my life.
         1. Fear is like a chameleon--it is skilled in blending in with your life situations so that you do not recognize it for what it is.
         2. The importance of denying that the fear exists increases as the fear grows more powerful.
         3. So, commonly, we are either unaware of it or we deny that it is there.
      2. Since I have been with you, I have had opportunity to see the role fear has played in my life in the past.
      3. Since I have been with you, I have seen more clearly than ever the incredible ways that God has always been at work in my life.
         1. The most incredible thing I have seen is how powerfully and helpfully God has worked in my life in the most trying times and situations.
         2. Being given the opportunity to be here with you raised my level of understanding and awareness that God is powerfully at work in the lives of His children no matter what their situation or circumstances.
      4. This has produced a new level of understanding and acceptance of two truths I have always believed.
         1. Truth one: 1 John 4:4--...Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
            1. Intellectually I have known and believe that for decades.
            2. Intellectually I have placed my confidence in that for decades.
            3. But I know it in my heart, I understand it with my feelings as I have never known or understood it before.
            4. No matter what the situation, no matter what the circumstances, no matter how intense the suffering, there is never one moment in a Christian's life when God is not more powerful than Satan.
            5. The Christian may or may not realize that; he may or may not believe that; but whether he realizes and believes it or not, it is a fact.
         2. Truth two: Romans 8:28--And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
            1. Again, intellectually I have known and believed that for decades.
            2. Again, intellectually I have placed my confidence in that for decades.
            3. But I know it in my heart, I understand it with my feelings as I have never known and understood it before.
            4. Satan can do his worst in my life and my circumstances, and God can use everything he does to help me come home to him.
            5. A Christian may be convinced that his or her circumstances are so evil, so bad that God could not possibly use them to aid salvation, but the God who used a crucifixion to create an eternal Savior can use anything that happens in our lives to help bring us home to Him.

Many people never turn to God because they are afraid. Many Christians never get close to God because they are afraid.

I am convinced that all of us have a ceaseless struggle with fear. In some of our lives those struggles cannot be hidden, and in some of our lives those struggles are easy to hide. In this struggle, it is easy to believe that the power of fear is greater than the power of God. It is easy to believe that fear can more easily hurt us than God can help us.

When we are afraid, we deny our fear, and pretend our faith. We must acknowledge our fear, and grow in our faith.