Spiritual Depression: #5 “Fear of the Future,” a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
My thoughts:
Doctor Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues his sermon series on “Spiritual Depression.” This time he addresses the issue of fearing what lies ahead, based on 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Every person who has had panic attacks or suffers from stress and anxiety should have this scripture memorized. I can remember so well the first time I came across this scripture. What stuck out for me that day were the words, “and of a sound mind.”
“You mean Lord, I do have a sound mind? You mean I am not crazy? You mean I am not losing my mind?” Those where my thoughts at the time. I truly thought I was losing my mind and when I did I would never recover. Oh, how scary that was. Have you ever thought like that?
What comfort in those words that came from our Lord through the Apostle Paul. It was something that I could hang onto.
Also, I thought, “If God did not give us a spirit of fear, then where did it come from.” I knew I was fearful of almost everything. I reasoned that the fear I was feeling must be coming from the enemy. You know what? I was right. Dr. Jones tells us in this sermon that the devil is relentless to discredit the name and work of God. That he works to bring us down. He doesn’t want us to be successful and do the work we are called to do.
Instead of a spirit of fear, God gave us a spirit of power. That’s the Holy Spirit that lives in a Christian and gives us the supernatural power to do the things we need to do. Also, He has given us a spirit of love. That is the love of Christ in us. This enables us to love others and do for others.
Last by not least is the spirit of a sound mind. Oh my, that’s wonderful! With a sound mind we can have self-control. We can have a disciplined mind, and be wise in the ways that we think and act. Just think of it; your mind doesn’t have to control you! You can control your mind! That is self-control.
I want to also talk a little about the fear of the future in another sense. I can remember when I started to get well that I was afraid of getting well. Can you believe that? Who wouldn’t want to get well? I wanted to but I thought if I did get completely well then my life would have to change a lot. I had stayed at home for years not even free to go out of my house without having a panic attack. I’d have to get a job, drive again, be around other people. To me those were very scary things. No, it would be more comfortable to just stay as I was. But, is that what God would want for me? I had to get a grip on myself and tell myself that God would not let me down. That He was in control and whatever the future held He would see me through. It happened that way. I did get better and I did make a lot of changes in my life, but God took me though it all step by step and day by day. He did not let me down. I did not have to fear the future in getting well again. And, you don’t either!
I encourage you to listen to this sermon. Dr. Jones really explains why we think the way we do and how we can change.
By the way, if you’d rather you can buy his book, “Spiritual Depression,” by going here:
I sent for it myself and am enjoying reading parts of these sermons over again as I try to digest it all. Also, I don’t get anything if anyone buys this book. This is just for your information.
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