Hezekiah—Facing Your Fears
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What are the fears you inherited from your family of origin?
The Fear of Losing Security/Safety (Ahaz, Hezekiah’s dad):
He became an idolater sacrificing to other gods (2 Chronicles 28:1-4, 22-23)
2 Chronicles 28:1, 23 (NLT)
Ahaz . . . did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the LORD, as his ancestor David had done. . . He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, “Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them.” But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.
He feared a person more than the Lord (2 Kings 16:7-8)
2 Kings 16:7-8 (NLT)
He closed off the Lord’s Influence (2 Chronicles 28:24-25)
2 Chronicles 28:24-25 (NLT)
To Face Your Fears You Have To
Tear down AND Open up
2 Kings 18:3-4
2 Chronicles 29:3-7 (NLT)
Don’t just stop sin, replace it with righteousness.
In the New Testament:
Jesus physical body is our temple.
Your body is a temple.
Jesus’ Body is a temple
To Face Your Fears You Have To
See your learned strategies
2 Kings 18:7, 13-14, 16-17 (NLT)
To Face Your Fears You Have To
Notice the tempting voices
2 Kings 18:28-35 (NLT)
Pay attention to what the world, the flesh and the devil are saying to you
To Face Your Fears You Have To
Answer deep questions about trust
2 Kings 18:19-20 (NLT)
Then the Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the great king of Assyria says:
1. What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?
2. Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength?
3. Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me?
The opposite of fear is . . . trust
To Face Your Fears You Have To
Trust in the Lord and trustworthy people
2 Kings 19:1-2 (NLT)
2 Kings 19:14-19 (NLT)
2 Kings 19:32-34 (NLT)
1 Kings 19:35-37 (NLT)
To be powerless means to be absolutely helpless. . . . This, oddly enough, is the best disposition for the beginning of a spiritual journey. Why is that? Because the deeper one’s awareness of one’s powerlessness and the more desperate, the more willing one is to reach out for help. –Thomas Keating, Trappist Monk
Reach out for help to a fellow temple stone
Reach out for help to the Lord
