The Fear App: Break out of the Cycle of Needless Fears

By Bill Hanson

What if you could discover a way to live your life without fear?

What if a new vegetable that was just discovered could keep you from getting a deadly disease? Would you eat it? What if a new exercise developed would extend your life some twenty years? Would you try it? What if the information in The Fear App book would help you to remove those needless fears that run through our minds and keep us from following Gods will in our lives? Would you read it?

The apps we have on our phones were developed to make a function or activity much easier or to assist us in some specific way. The Fear App book and the available study guide are similar dynamic tools. This book will help you identify the fears you may not even be aware of.

The Lord has prepared ministry service for all of us to be involved in (Ephesians 2:10). If you allow fear to control service decisions, youll miss Gods best for your life and the blessings that come with following His will.

In summary, this book is written in such a way that its an easy read with a very practical approach, and it isnt too in depth or over the top; however, it gets right to the point of the fears all of us experience in our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781512722499

Bill Hanson

Bill Hanson and his wife, Ginny, are full-time missionaries. Bill and Ginny have lived in Africa at various times during their ministry service. Bill has traveled overseas on around sixty-five mission trips to twenty-eight different countries since following God’s leading and leaving his secular career. During Bill’s time as a missionary, he has interviewed a number of people around the globe who’ve allowed fear to control their lives. Bill and Ginny Hanson have four children and ten grandkids.

Book preview

THE FEAR APP

BREAK OUT OF THE CYCLE

OF NEEDLESS FEARS

Bill Hanson

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Copyright © 2015 Bill Hanson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2250-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2249-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920117

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/11/2015

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Prayer and the Term Christian

Part One: How Fear Impacts Our Decisions

Chapter 1 There's an App for Our Fears!

Chapter 2 Four Surprises about Fear

Chapter 3 The Fear of God Not Answering Our Prayers

Part Two: How Fear Keeps Us From Accepting Or Serving God?

Chapter 4 The Fear of Being a Christian

Chapter 5 The Fear of Serving

Chapter 6 The Fear of Witnessing

Part Three: Biblical Examples Of Fear

Chapter 7 What Does Fear Have to Do with Creation?

Chapter 8 Why Jonah Ran from God: What Would You Do?

Chapter 9 Why Moses Feared Failure

Chapter 10 The Fear We Experience on Our Road to Damascus

Part Four: Personal Examples Of Fear

Chapter 11 My Fear Story

Chapter 12 How Satan Uses the Foreign Language of Fear to Confuse Us

Part Five: Applications For Removing Fears

Chapter 13 If God Is in Control, Why Do We Fear?

Chapter 14 The Battle in Our Minds between Fear and Faith

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

What I've learned about fear and how fear impacts our decisions about serving Jesus has come from a combination of my own fears, plus allowing those what if questions to over power serving decisions and talking to others around the globe who were candid with me who've allowed fear to control decisions as well.

I want to thank all the people that encouraged me about the Fear App book and Study Guide. I taught a number of classes on fear to men's small groups as well as men and ladies Bible studies. Thank you for encouraging me about the various chapters and the Study Guide questions that you felt were so relevant to this topic.

Thank you to Dr. James Wendorf and Christian fiction author Jeff LaFerney for help editing this book.

For five years, my wife Ginny and family have allowed me the time during our evenings and weekends to devote a certain amount of time to this book and study guide. Thank you friends, family and co-ministry partners around the globe.

Bill Hanson

INTRODUCTION

When speaking of fear, the obvious question is What are you afraid of? Everyone has some type of a fear answer. The opposite of fear is faith. Where are you at in making critical decisions in life? Do you allow fear to control those decisions?

I was serving in missions at Richards Bay, South Africa, on September 11, 2001. The world watched as two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in one of the most horrific disasters in American history. In an instant, people all over the world were gripped with fear as they considered the possibility that they could be next. To this day, the government continues to act on this fear while measures are being taken to avoid another such disaster. The attacks of 9/11 and the fear people experienced were real and needed to be dealt with quickly.

This book (along with The Fear App Study Guide) addresses a much different fear we face as Christians. This book is about the fears that flow through our minds as God moves us in a particular direction. It gives answers on how to overcome these cycles of needless fears and faithfully follow God.

There are many fears that we allow to keep us from following God's will for our lives. When we allow these fears to dictate our thinking, they can easily put us in a quandary. A quandary is a state of perplexity or uncertainty, especially over what to do in a difficult situation.

I experienced this fear quandary when God called us into missions. In talking to Christians around the globe, they also have experienced the same fear. Many allowed fear to manipulate their decisions instead of following God's leading. The result was that they did not get to experience the peace and blessing God had planned for them. In order to live a life that is completely in step with God, we must transform our minds to no longer follow fear; instead, we must learn to faithfully trust God with our lives and all decisions.

This book will show how fear kept godly people in the Bible from doing what God commanded. It will also show how others faithfully followed Him. Through their examples, we will learn how to break out of the needless cycle of fear and learn how to rely totally on God.

As though it were yesterday, I remember the day I left Detroit, Michigan (by myself) on my first mission trip. I was headed to a mission project in Africa. My wife, family, several pastors, and friends waved goodbye as I boarded the plane. I remember not having the fear I had experienced before because I knew I was right where God wanted me. There was a peace God gave me; the fear that could have or might have overpowered His leading. Now, years later, I can still attest to experiencing God's blessings by removing any fear quandaries.

We would do well to remember the encouragement found in Isaiah 41:10. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

PRAYER

Prayer and the Term Christian

Please pray the following prayer before reading this book. Or, pray in your own words for God to reveal any fears you have allowed which have caused you not to follow His leading.

Dear Heavenly Father,

It is my desire to serve You and use my gifts and talents you've so blessed me with. I know You have designed a unique plan for my life, and it is truly my desire to follow your leading. I ask, Lord, that You give me wisdom to comprehend this book and to apply the principles, commandments, and Biblical truths. If I have a problem with fear, please show me those areas in which I need improvement so I can faithfully follow You and assist in furthering The Great Commission. It is my desire to serve and discover Your will for my life.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

THE TERM CHRISTIAN

You will be reading the term Christian quite often in this book. I recognize this is a term that is used quite broadly as people make reference to someone who is a Christian. If this is a foreign term to you or you are unsure of its meaning, please go to Chapter Four first and read it thoroughly; then, return to Chapter One.

PART ONE

How Fear Impacts Our Decisions

CHAPTER ONE

THERE'S AN APP FOR OUR FEARS!

What does fear really mean? Satan can deceive us and our thinking about fear, so let's look at this word fear and define its meaning. To simplify the definition and not to complicate the meaning, I chose The Laymen's Bible Dictionary to define both types of fear. Our normal fear is an emotion aroused by danger or risk to one's safety (see 1 Samuel 21:10). The word is secondly used for "respect or reverence toward God. Deuteronomy 10:20 says You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear."

It is important to establish right away that fear