Overcoming Fear with Faith
Chat Held October 14th, 2003
Instructor: Marnie L. Pehrson

07:57:36 [marniep] Hi! You're in the right place for the Overcoming Your Fears with Faith Chat!

07:57:53 Michelle enters this room

07:58:12 [Michelle] Hello!

07:58:12 [marniep] Welcome to this year's conference! I hope you'll all pray that we have the Spirit with us this year and that everyone is blessed with the knowledge and understanding the Lord wants us to gain this week!

07:58:58 [Debra] thank-you and the same for y'all too

07:59:45 [marniep] This year's theme is an exciting one for me... it's been the "theme" for my life over this past year. The Lord has taught me much about faith and overcoming fear and I'm sure He has a lot more to teach me. But my goal here is to share what I've learned so far. And I hope you'll each do the same

08:00:08 [marniep] We can learn a lot from each other!!

08:00:34 [marniep] I'll go ahead and get started since we've got quite a bit to cover.

08:01:09 [marniep] Heb. 11: 1: “NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

08:01:40 [marniep] I want you to really think about that for a minute - faith is the literal "substance" from which God will make your miracle. If it's not present - nothing gets made!

08:01:44 mamzel enters this room

08:02:03 [marniep] welcome Mary Ann!

08:02:06 [marniep] Fear and doubt do the opposite. If faith creates your miracle, then fear destroys it.

08:02:18 [marniep] Fear and Faith cannot dwell in the mind simultaneously

08:02:31 [marniep] 2 Tim. 1: 7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

08:03:01 [marniep] How many of you feel like you could use more faith?

08:03:22 AmyLN enters this room

08:03:23 [Debra] I sure can it is a great principle in the gospel

08:03:36 [Stephanie] I know that I hav faith, but it's sometimes very difficult for me to put it in action.

08:04:24 terresa enters this room

08:04:39 [Debra] I think we need not to fear, because God loves us

08:04:49 [marniep] yes

08:05:02 [marniep] I recently thought I had a lot of faith.. until it was put to the test and realized that my first instinct was to be afraid

08:05:28 [marniep] When we hit a wall, what's our first thing that hits most people's minds? Is it not worry, fear, the worse case scenario?

08:05:33 [marniep] or is that just me?

08:05:38 carolyn enters this room

08:06:21 [marniep] welcome everybody! I hope you can read the transcripts and catch up. 

08:06:28 [Stephanie] It's not just you, I have been pushed to sheer panic in the past two years.

08:06:29 [Debra] to me is trusting in myself

08:06:57 [Debra] to trust the Lord too

08:07:24 [Kelly] you are right Marnie. Its the wordly side of us. Not the spiritual side

08:07:25 dubopa enters this room

08:07:51 [Debra] yes

08:08:22 [marniep] It's natural to feel fear. The trick is not letting it get root in your heart.

08:08:41 [marniep] I'm going to give you 2 rules that if you will follow your faith will grow and it will cast fear out of your heart.

08:08:58 [marniep] You can use these 2 rules whenever you feel fear

08:09:50 teresa enters this room

08:09:58 [marniep] #1 Trust God – that no matter what happens it’s going to work together for your good

08:10:17 mamzel enters this room

08:10:38 [marniep] Prov. 3: 5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

08:11:51 [marniep] As Romans 8:28 says, "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose

08:12:34 [marniep] Things may get bad, they may look bleak, you may encounter challenges and trials, but EVERYTHING is part of the plan. EVERYTHING is for your good. Within every bad thing is an equal and opposite good. You must LOOK for it though.

08:13:16 [marniep] Everything is a compound in one. Every book has a front and a back. You can't have an inside without an outside. You can't have an up without a down. You can't be forced to climb 12 feet out of a 4 foot hole!

08:13:20 [Debra] it helps to have a good positive attitude in everything

08:14:04 [Kelly] I Peter 5:7 cast all anxiety on him because he cares for you

08:14:06 [marniep] Right... but KNOW absolutely KNOW that there is an equal and opposite good in any situation. God treasure for you... hidden within the quagmire

08:14:21 [marniep] But if you never look, and never have eyes to see or ears to hear, then you may never grab hold of it.

08:14:31 [marniep] yes, Kelly, thank you

08:14:53 [marniep] #2 Seek a confirmation - Ask and Ye Shall Receive

08:15:44 [marniep] Example... I recently had a really great opportunity to further my writing career. Everything was falling into place, except the money to make it happen. If this opportunity had opened up even 3 months earlier, money

08:15:56 Michelle exits from this room

08:15:58 [marniep] would not have been an issue. But suddenly when all the doors were opening, I was flat broke.

08:16:34 [marniep] The doors had God's fingerprint all over them. I just knew they were His work. But I was having trouble to muster the faith to walk through them because I didn't have the money to do it.

08:17:05 [marniep] I was talking with my good friend Leslie Householder about it and I said, "Leslie, I'm trying to have faith. I'm know that fear is debilitating and will close the doors, but I'm still having trouble."

08:17:15 [marniep] She told me something I knew.. but that I'd forgotten to do.

08:17:33 [marniep] She said, "Marnie have you prayed about it? Are you absolutely certain you're supposed to walk thru those doors?"

08:17:45 [marniep] I said,"No, it seems obvious that I should though."

08:17:59 [marniep] She said, well pray about it. Get a definite confirmation and then you'll have the faith you need.

08:18:21 [marniep] So that's what I did. I fasted and I prayed for 24 hours. And I got my answer. It was an overwhelming YES... I opened these doors. Walk through them.

08:19:08 [marniep] So I did. I put a plane ticket on a credit card. I ordered books on credit. I did what I had to do to make it happen. And it was the best thing I've ever done and I continue to marvel at how the Lord continues to provide the money and means to meet the obligations

08:19:28 [marniep] associated with those doors He opened for me. It's a daily walk by faith. He doesn't give me more than I need.. just enough. But He provides.

08:19:36 [marniep] Like Manna to the children of Israel

08:19:55 [marniep] So the 2 steps are 1 Trust God 2) Seek a Confirmation

08:20:24 [marniep] A lot of people ask me... but now can I REALLY know it's what God wants me to do?

08:20:33 [Debra] perfect love casteth out fear

08:20:40 [marniep] So if someone asked you that... how would you answer them?

08:20:45 [marniep] good verse Debra

08:21:32 mamzel enters this room

08:21:44 [marniep] You can know 100% positive whether something is God’s will for you!! If it’s not that important and it doesn’t matter either way

08:21:52 [marniep] He often lets it be your choice – He gave you free will and He wants you to use it.

08:21:58 [marniep] But If it’s important, if it really matters in the grand scheme of things, He will guide you!

08:22:49 [marniep] Here's what works for me... I weigh it out in my mind. I ponder the situation and come to a decision.

08:22:57 [Kelly] if its right you will be have peace with it no doubts

08:23:16 [marniep] Good Kelly.

08:23:33 [marniep] Gal. 5: 22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

08:24:02 [marniep] In this particular example, I got out a sheet and made a pro-con list on my decision

08:24:47 [marniep] The only things on the con side were fear-based. So I chose to forge ahead and then I prayed and said,"This is what I think I should do. Is this right"

08:25:01 [marniep] I felt the feelings mentioned in Galatians 5:22.

08:25:17 [marniep] Notice no where in Galatians 5:22 does it say fear, anxiety, doubt, depression, despondency

08:25:53 [marniep] Those are Satan's tools. When the Holy Spirit is present, you feel love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, etc...

08:26:11 [marniep] So if the Lord agrees with your decision, He'll put his seal of approval on it with those feelings.

08:26:42 [marniep] Many of us get to that point - we get those feelings of peace and then time goes by and we forget. Or we lose confidence. and we begin to doubt

08:26:52 mamzel enters this room

08:27:15 [marniep] So we need to look at why fear takes hold after we get an initial confirmation

08:27:44 [Stephanie] I had never thought of it that way. It makes it a little easier to make decisions. I was always told that God would tell you what to do, but no one ever told me how he would go about it.

08:27:50 [marniep] 1) Our circumstances don't match up with what the Lord told us. He said to expect a miracle in your finances, but bill collectors are calling and you have no money in your bank account

08:28:16 [marniep] Good point Stephanie! a lot of people struggle with this

08:29:09 [marniep] 2) It's a totally new concept for you - the Lord has taught you or shown you a new principle that may conflict with your old way of thinking or your upbringing. You may get an initial feeling that the new principle is true, but when you go back to living day-to-day your old way of thinking kicks

08:29:15 [marniep] in and makes you doubt.

08:29:33 [marniep] 3) Satan doesn’t want you to have faith and do what you’ve been told or promised.

08:29:37 terresa enters this room

08:29:47 [marniep] so he works overtime on you to make you feel afraid and doubt

08:30:35 [marniep] So when you hit this "terror barrier" you need to go back to rule #1 Trust God

08:31:10 [Debra] if we are afraid or doubt we can't be as close to God

08:31:29 [marniep] Trust him that what he told you was true is still true. Realize that you must be VERY close to achieving your heart's desire if Satan is working so hard in overtime.

08:31:35 [marniep] EXACTLY Debora

08:31:39 [marniep] Debra - sorry

08:31:41 [mamzel] can't think two thoughts at once

08:31:42 carileeme enters this room

08:31:48 [mamzel] =)

08:31:53 [marniep] Paul taught in Heb. 10: 35

08:31:59 [marniep] Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

08:32:05 [carileeme] HI God Bless You~

08:32:23 [marniep] When the Lord gives you an answer, don't cast away your confidence...keep trusting him.

08:32:36 [marniep] It can take time to bring it to pass.

08:32:46 [marniep] Habakkuk 2:3

08:32:49 [marniep] For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

08:33:31 [marniep] Think of the answer the Lord gave you as a seed. Every seed takes time to grow. It has to be planted, nourished and given time

08:33:49 [Debra] patience is can be hard but helps us to have faith

08:33:57 [marniep] What the Lord promises you may happen quickly or it could take months or even years for you to gather the necessary knowledge, experience, relationships, etc. that you need

08:34:00 keema66 enters this room

08:34:04 [marniep] true

08:34:34 [Kelly] dont forget that God doesn't keep same timeline to him a day is like 1000 years don't lose faith while u wait

08:34:49 [marniep] I'm going to give you a little diagram that will help you understand how this process works in your mind.

08:34:59 [marniep] 1,000 years is a long time for us humans - eh?

08:35:01 [carileeme] Hi forgive me for interrupting this is my first time coming to one of these conferences

08:35:13 [marniep] If you can open another browser window, go to http://www.shelovesgod.com/classes/stickman.jpg 

08:35:30 [marniep] hi carileeme - scroll up and you should be able to read a transcript of what you missed.

08:35:56 [marniep] Draw 4 of these stickmen down a piece of paper.

08:36:05 [carileeme] thank you I did and i can only say Praise the Lord to all the encouraging scriptures being shared between the Lords girls here 

08:36:43 [marniep] Ok, everybody able to see the stickman?

08:36:58 [mamzel] yes

08:37:02 [teresa] yes

08:37:10 [Debra] ok

08:37:20 [carileeme] yes

08:37:24 [Stephanie] yes

08:37:24 [marniep] Hey, Mary Ann, glad you're able to see the chat now!

08:37:44 [marniep] Ok, have you drawn 4 of these little guys down your page? Separate each man from the other with a horizontal line

08:37:52 [mamzel] went through explorer

08:38:21 [marniep] Let me explain what this is here.

08:38:32 [marniep] The big circle up top represents his mind

08:38:33 rochelle enters this room

08:38:50 [marniep] It's split in half cause the bottom half represents his subconscious mind or in Biblical terms his "heart"

08:38:53 Kelly enters this room

08:39:11 [marniep] The top half of the circle represents the conscious mind

08:39:29 [marniep] So label those - bottom half subconscious=feelings=heart

08:39:41 [marniep] Top half=conscious=thoughts

08:39:57 [marniep] Out to the right of the arrow, put Actions

08:40:09 [marniep] oops.. I mean RESULTS

08:40:20 [marniep] Put Actions on his little body

08:40:29 [marniep] And to the right of the arrow Results

08:40:41 [marniep] So your thoughts and feelings determine your actions which determine your results

08:40:57 [marniep] Proverbs tells us that "as a man thinketh in his heart so is he"

08:41:12 [marniep] Whatever your heart believes is what gets down into your actions and produces the results

08:41:39 [marniep] Your Conscious mind has the ability to accept or reject anything that comes in through those little antenae on the top of his head (your senses)

08:41:58 [marniep] The conscious mind can throw out truth or it can take in lies... whatever it chooses and has been conditioned to do.

08:42:19 [mamzel] i see there are 6 senses lol

08:42:31 [marniep] But if it lets it in and the subconscious mind starts to feel something about that information, then it sinks down into the heart

08:42:43 Sharon enters this room

08:42:43 [marniep] Yep, I threw in an extra one for our spiritual senses. 

08:43:10 [mamzel] <smiley here>

08:43:27 [marniep] Ok, so in the bottom man you've drawn, put an X in his subconscious mind, put an X in his conscious mind and an X out by Results

08:43:40 [carileeme] can we recondition? the Lord has been talking to me lately about that... stinkin thinkin and to start receiving the good he has to say about me and not the bad the enemy would lie to me about

08:44:04 [marniep] Oh yes, Carilee and this will help you!!

08:44:19 [marniep] Let's use a financial situation here... Let's say you have no money = those are your X results

08:44:41 [marniep] In your conscious mind you're stating "X" - I have no money, I can't afford that, I'll never have enough money to do this or that

08:45:02 Junebug enters this room

08:45:07 [marniep] Your heart is just sick about it... you feel it profoundly that you have no money and this makes you upset, gives you an ulcer or whatever and you have X in your subconscious mind.

08:45:32 [marniep] So then your actions as a result of this "stinkin thinkin" start to get into your body and produce those X results in the world.

08:45:53 [marniep] Then your sense pick it up - draw an arrow back around from your X results back to the little antenae on his head

08:45:58 [carileeme] sounds so very familiar ....

08:46:09 [marniep] He sees X and he keeps thinking and feeling X and he is in BONDAGE

08:46:13 keema enters this room

08:46:16 [marniep] So label this first diagram BONDAGE

08:46:19 [marniep] yep!

08:46:51 [mamzel] #4 with the X's or the Top one

08:46:52 [marniep] Ok, now let's say that you've prayed about your financial situation. You've taken it to the Lord and He's given you a peaceful feeling that everything will be OK

08:47:05 [marniep] He tells you to expect a miracle and it will be according to your faith

08:47:14 [marniep] So now you have a new Y idea

08:47:34 Junie enters this room

08:47:35 [marniep] In the second guy up from the bottom, put a bubble over his head like a cartoon would have with a Y in it

08:47:44 Kelly exits from this room

08:47:46 [rochelle] can we comment at any point?

08:48:08 [marniep] Now you begin to think on this idea and put a Y in his conscious mind, but put an X in his subconscious mind - because he still thinks/feels broke

08:48:15 [marniep] sure Rochelle

08:48:16 [rochelle] sorry I'm new to this?

08:48:28 KellyP exits from this room

08:48:30 [rochelle] thanks okay

08:48:31 [marniep] And put an X out next to his results because his bank account is still empty

08:48:35 [marniep] no problem

08:48:57 [marniep] So he has Y in his conscious mind, X in his subconscious and X in the body and X results

08:49:10 [marniep] Label this diagram REASON

08:49:13 [rochelle] so true

08:49:20 [rochelle] I found that we don't stop to think about what we are thinking - therefore we allow EVERYTHING to enter into your mindset

08:49:26 [marniep] He's got a Reason to change and he's using his reasoning powers

08:49:39 [marniep] Oh, Rochelle you are 100% on the mark with that!

08:49:49 [mamzel] reason doesn't get us too far

08:49:59 [marniep] No, it doesn't. 

08:50:06 [marniep] Ok, now.. next diagram up

08:50:17 [rochelle] amen

08:50:35 [carileeme] Its kinda like letting our beautiful Lord be Lord of our thinking...

08:50:36 [marniep] Let's say this fellow thinks on Y enough that he puts it into his subconscious mind.. he's feeling something with it. He's starting to believe it.

08:50:45 [marniep] yes

08:51:21 [Debra] 

08:51:25 [marniep] So now, in this 3rd diagram, put a Y in the conscious mind, a Y and an X in the subconscious and an X in the body and X results

08:51:38 [keema] Let this mind be in you that is in Christ

08:52:02 [marniep] good verse

08:52:11 [Debra] with the help of his Spirit

08:52:25 [carileeme] Dont be conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of ur mind!!! so it is possible amen huh sisters 

08:52:31 [marniep] Ok so, now the subconscious mind has no ability to accept or reject an idea... it just accepts anything that the conscious mind allows down in there

08:52:43 [marniep] oooh good one carileeme!

08:53:16 [marniep] It's got an X idea and a Y idea down in there and it's accepting them both as truth. How is our stickman going to feel? What kind of emotions is he going to be experiencing?

08:53:41 [mamzel] split, conflicted

08:53:49 [mamzel] discouraged

08:53:58 [marniep] good

08:54:08 [marniep] fear, anxiety, confusion, TERROR

08:54:21 [Stephanie] It almost feels like you're being ripped apart from the inside out.

08:54:24 [carileeme] confusion because he knows the truth but will he trust

08:54:26 [marniep] depending upon how important it is and how hard coded the old thinking is in his heart

08:54:30 [mamzel] those too...

08:54:34 [marniep] good carileeme

08:54:54 [marniep] Label this diagram the TERROR BARRIER

08:55:08 [marniep] This is what Paul was talking about when he told us not to cast away our confidence.

08:55:33 [marniep] We got an initial answer, an initial confirmation of TRUTH and then our old way of thinking nestles in and we get scared

08:55:48 [carileeme] sometimes i think we get comfy in our stinkin thinkin, i know i have before because it is so familiar to me for so long... but the washing of our minds with his word helps

08:55:58 [rochelle] see its so easy to say we need to have a mind of Christ

08:56:08 [rochelle] but when we have been thinking a certain way for so long

08:56:10 [marniep] we lose confidence in the answer the Lord gave us and at this point we have one of two choices. We can either forge ahead in faith into the darkness or we can slink away and give up and go back to bondage

08:56:18 [rochelle] we have to literally retrain our thought pattern

08:56:25 Lorrie enters this room

08:56:29 [rochelle] and that takes time and work

08:56:30 [marniep] yes good points

08:56:38 [rochelle] i had to learn this

08:56:46 [marniep] Ok, now, let's get to the next diagram

08:56:54 [rochelle] I was a person addiction to rationalizing everything

08:56:57 [Debra] very good thoughts 

08:57:00 [mamzel] oh good

08:57:10 [Stephanie] I've been giving up all my life, it's time to make the other decision.

08:57:14 Lorrie exits from this room

08:57:17 [marniep] The top one, put Y in the top half, a bunch of Y's in the bottom half and one little X in the bottom half, a Y in the body and Y results

08:57:22 [mamzel] hugs stephanie

08:57:25 [marniep] This is called FREEDOM

08:57:43 [marniep] Notice that the x never goes away... it's still a part of you. but you overpower it with the new Y's

08:58:04 [marniep] goodo for you Stephanie! "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me!"

08:58:20 [marniep] So how do you get all those Y's down in there?

08:58:54 [marniep] Two things take your new idea into the subconscious: FEELINGS and IMAGES

08:59:17 [marniep] Satan is VERY aware of the fact that our subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a real or an imagined event

08:59:38 [carileeme] now that is interesting to know!

08:59:41 [marniep] That's why he uses media the way he does. He can get people to do all kinds of things by manipulating their emotions and feeding them negative images.

08:59:54 [mamzel] i heard that before too - fascinating

09:00:11 [marniep] We need to use POSITIVE MEDIA, thoughts, imagery to put GOOD things into our minds.

09:00:23 [mamzel] music

09:00:29 [marniep] We do this through A) holding the Vision of what the Lord told us to be true

09:01:10 [marniep] Impressing that Vision repeatedly upon our hearts - through imagery, good music, good media, visualization, written goals, visual goals, etc.

09:01:10 [Debra] yes 

09:01:10 [keema] good day ladies. God Bless

09:01:15 keema exits from this room

09:01:18 [marniep] you too keema

09:01:44 [marniep] B) Intense GRATITUDE

09:01:46 [Debra] God bless you Keema

09:02:04 [marniep] Gratitude is an emotion that draws you close to God. You can't feel grateful and be wining and complaining at the same time

09:02:17 [marniep] You can't be looking for the good and concentrating on the bad at the same time.

09:02:35 [marniep] Let's look at Prov. 3: 5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

09:02:59 [marniep] Not only are we to trust him, but we are to ACKNOWLEDGE his hand in all things - through a deep and profound GRATITUDE

09:03:26 [marniep] This will be the subject of our class tomorrow - Gratitude and how we can use it to build faith and cast out fear

09:03:40 [rochelle] man did I struggle with this just this weekend

09:03:46 [rochelle] all because of what I was seeing

09:03:49 [marniep] Our hour's up, but I'll hang around and answer questions or hear your thoughts/ideas

09:04:02 [rochelle] and that means that we have to watch what we watch and look at what we look at

09:04:05 [carileeme] Im writing these all down here! amen 

09:04:11 [Debra] thanks a lot marnie

09:04:20 [marniep] What we see isn't always the truth is it?

09:04:23 [rochelle] our Eyes are the Gates to our MINDS

09:04:29 [marniep] Carileeme, I'll put a transcript up on the site

09:04:41 [rochelle] and sometimes the enemy places things in front of us that are LIES

09:04:43 [carileeme] thank you 

09:04:47 [rochelle] and we take it for face value

09:04:58 [marniep] yep

09:05:00 [rochelle] but we don't see God working behind the scenes

09:05:05 [Stephanie] Thank you so very much Marnie. You have helped me more than you could imagine. See you tomorrow.

09:05:05 [marniep] thank you for coming everyone!!

09:05:13 [rochelle] I had to ask God to forgive me for this very thing

09:05:14 Debra exits from this room

09:05:21 [marniep] I'll be doing this class in a teleclass today if anyone would rather "hear" it than just read it. 

09:05:37 [marniep] Well, thank you Stephanie! God bless you!

09:05:41 [AmyLN] Thank you all!

09:05:43 [mamzel] marnie, sooo blessed - just what i needed...

09:05:55 [carileeme] Thank you so much too, Thanks for seeking him, because it helped me today 

09:05:57 [marniep] Great! thanks for coming!

09:05:58 mamzel exits from this room

09:06:27 Stephanie exits from this room

09:06:31 [rochelle] we need to begin to believe God to work in those Small Areas of our lives - sometimes we think this is too small for God to deal with

09:06:41 ann enters this room

09:06:44 [marniep] It's a constant battle... I mean I know all these things, but I still catch myself slipping into my old ways of thinking

09:06:44 [rochelle] but those are the very things that God wants to work with in our lives

09:06:58 [rochelle] thats where the Supernatural miracles begin to happen

09:07:07 [marniep] you're right rochelle

09:07:23 [rochelle] that when you Know God Did that

09:07:26 [rochelle] nobody but God

09:07:39 [marniep] I've seen some really amazing things happen when I've put these principles to work.

09:07:53 [rochelle] thanks for this teaching Marnie - you are a blessing to the Kingdom of God