John Bevere - Discover How God's Love Conquers All Fear
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Hey everybody, welcome to lesson seven of Breaking Intimidation. We are going to talk about the root of intimidation in this lesson. Let’s read our scripture: «For God has not given us the spirit of intimidation, but of power,» which we talked about in the last lesson, «and of love, and of a sound mind.» Now let’s focus on the love part. Having a positive mental attitude will not overcome intimidation; we must understand this. Freedom has nothing to do with being an extrovert. I’ve seen extroverted people who lack depth in having a spirit of love, and I’ve seen quiet people with tremendous depth. Sometimes an outgoing demeanor can actually be a cover-up for timidity. I’ve witnessed that not just once, but probably over a hundred times.
Let me ask some questions: Do you ever feel the need to overcompensate for your fears and insecurities? Have you ever felt like you had to fake confidence or conjure it up? Do you feel the need to impress others? Let’s talk about Simon Peter. It appeared that he was fearless and bold. I mean, after all, this is Simon Peter, the outspoken one who declared Jesus as the Christ. However, many people reading the Gospels conclude that Simon Peter was really a coward and just all talk. Can I say this? This is where people dismiss Peter denying Jesus—he’s all talk, he’s a coward. I don’t know too many cowards who, when facing a fully armed detachment of soldiers, will take a sword while surrounded by fishermen and tax collectors and attack the leader of that army’s servant. I don’t know a lot of cowards who would do that, so let’s be honest; we can’t easily dismiss his denial of Jesus as just being all talk or cowardice.
Let’s settle that right now. Peter defended Jesus against those troops, and I want you to hear this: «Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.» That’s when Peter takes that sword and cuts off the right ear of the army’s leader’s servant. Now, the next question is: If he’s so bold, why does he deny Jesus in front of a servant girl? He is literally intimidated by a servant girl that night. So there’s much more at play here than what you see on the surface, and I want to go through this carefully because this lesson is crucial to understand. We need to answer why he’s intimidated by a servant girl. Here’s a guy who attacks an army with a sword, and then he’s intimidated by a servant girl.
To grasp why this happens, we have to go to earlier in the evening at the Last Supper. Jesus makes a heavy statement in Matthew: «All of you will be made to stumble because of me this night.» He’s looking at his 12 closest followers when he says this. Peter, being the outspoken one, responds, «Even if all these others stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.» Jesus responds, «Oh really, Peter? Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.» Peter doesn’t back down. He says to Jesus, «Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.»
Now it looks like he has boldness, but what fuels his boldness? Remember, he’s walked on water; he’s bold enough to get out of the boat, yet he starts sinking. There’s something about Peter we need to understand at this point. Motives can differ from our appearances. On the surface, it seems Peter has great courage and pure motives, but upon closer inspection, we find something other than the love of God motivating him. In Luke’s account of this very situation, Jesus states, «One of you will betray me.» I love Luke’s account because he provides more insight into what happens after that statement. The very next verse mentions the disciples looking at each other, questioning who could commit such an act.
Now let’s stop and think about this. They’re questioning who could do such a thing, but you know what the next verse says? «Now there was a dispute among them as to which of them should be considered the greatest.» So they start off asking who among them could ever do this, leading to a debate about who is the greatest disciple. Peter, being the most outspoken, is likely reminding everyone that it could never be him who betrays Jesus because he knows he’s the Christ, and he possesses a close connection being among the inner three.
So we can see that there’s probably a bit of pride at work here, right? This is why Jesus says, «Peter, Satan desires to sift you as wheat.» They leave that dinner and go right to the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane literally means «oil press.» In other words, you can’t get olive oil from an olive until you press it. When we go to Gethsemane, Jesus is surrendering to the will of the Father. This is the first time in all the Gospels that we see the will of Jesus and the will of the Father as two separate entities, as Jesus makes the statement, «Oh my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.»
In all other Gospel accounts, Jesus' will and the Father’s will are portrayed as synonymous; you can never tell the difference. But here he actually says, «Father, if there’s another way this can happen, please let it happen, but not my will, but yours be done.» At the very same time, he tells Peter, James, and John to pray because Jesus’s soul is deeply sorrowful. He’s in a battle: will he allow self-preservation to win, or will he allow love for his Father to prevail? The disciples are facing a similar battle—will they let self-preservation win, or will they let their love for Jesus triumph?
Jesus battles this for an hour and comes back to find them sleeping because the Bible states they were «sleeping from sorrow.» So what’s going on here? Jesus is motivated by the love of his Father, while the true motivation of these men is self-preservation; they can’t even stay awake to battle and contend in the hour of temptation. Jesus prays and battles through for three hours while the others sleep. What we find out is Peter thought he loved Jesus more than his own life, but the oil press of Gethsemane exposed his motives and self-preservation.
Peter’s boldness stemmed from his desire for the approval of others. It’s easy to be confident when God is doing what we expect. However, it’s only when God begins to do something unexpected that our confidence is shaken. Think about it: Jesus is there in the water, and Peter says, «Let me walk on the water,» because he knows Jesus will bail him out if he begins to sink. Peter is in the same scenario when the army comes out; he attacks because he knows Jesus will save him, just like always. But when Jesus is arrested, this is something none of the disciples expected. They were deaf to the truth that Jesus had repeatedly communicated: «I will be betrayed into the hands of sinners, crucified, and raised on the third day.»
Now, everything has changed, and God is no longer moving in the way Peter expects. The little servant girl looks at Peter and says, «You’re one of them,» and Peter immediately denies Jesus. Why? He’s preserving his life. You see, it was exposed in the Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus fought to lay down his life while Peter slept. Therefore, even though he professed he would die, he couldn’t lay down his life.
It’s crucial we understand this. 1 John 4:17 says, «Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness.» Remember the word «boldness.» It’s a spirit of love, a spirit of power, and a spirit of a sound mind that produces boldness in us to break the spirit of intimidation. «There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.» Torment always questions, «What’s going to happen to me?» Fear is rooted in self-preservation.
I will never forget a day I was in a hotel room after a service when fear struck me about my sons. I started thinking about ministers who lost their children to electrocution, car wrecks, drownings, and diseases, and I became fearful for my own sons. I remember when God spoke to me, saying, «Son, any area of your life where you have fear is an area you have not submitted to me; you haven’t laid it at the cross.» I was riveted by that statement. I remember jumping up from the bed; I was actually taking off my shoes when he said that. I jumped up, looked at God, and shouted, «Addison is not mine; he belongs to you, God!» I continued, «Austin is not mine; he belongs to you, God!» I systematically started shouting out the names of our sons, proclaiming they don’t belong to me, they belong to God. I declared, «God, I’m a steward; you’ve made me a dad of what belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with those boys. If you want to take them halfway around the world, that’s fine with me, but devil, you’re never killing them!»
Since that night in that hotel, I’ve never battled the fear of losing my sons. Why? Because in love, I submitted them to God, proclaiming they belong to Him. I will not fear. The torment was the fear of, «Your sons are going to get electrocuted, die in a car wreck, etc.» I cried out that night, «I’m giving those boys to God because I know God loves them perfectly, and I know He loves me perfectly. Therefore, I don’t own them anymore.»
When you don’t own your own life but love God, because «greater love has no one than this, that he lays down his life,» fear leaves your life. Do you want to know why so many people in churches battle fear? It’s because they, just like Peter, thought they could die for Jesus but couldn’t. They haven’t fully laid down their lives.
Let me tell you, after the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter, «Do you love me?» Peter replied, «Yes, I love you.» Jesus instructed him to «Feed my sheep,» three times. What’s interesting is that Jesus tells Peter how he will leave this earth, saying, «When you were young, you went wherever you wanted, but when you’re old, someone will bind you and take you where you don’t want to go,» thus signifying Peter’s death. Historically, Peter was crucified like Jesus, except he requested to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Peter was brave; he had boldness and was able to lay down his life for Jesus.
God gave him a second chance to face what he once failed at, and this time he didn’t fail. It’s interesting that Peter looked at Jesus and asked, «What about John?» Jesus replied, «What about John? Quit comparing yourself to others; you follow me.» When Peter was filled with the love of God on the day of Pentecost, filled with the Spirit, he had the ability to confront what he once failed at, and he succeeded.
Perfect love produces boldness. I don’t know too many people who could face a bunch of soldiers and say, «I’m not going to die like my Lord,» and then demand to be crucified upside down! That is magnificent. There is a statement I want to read at the end of this book. Andrew, Peter’s brother, was one of those who fled as soon as they arrested Jesus. Andrew preached in Ethiopia and refused to worship the Roman idols, prompting his death sentence.
Listen to what he says as he’s walking toward the cross. «Andrew, going toward the place of execution and seeing the cross waiting for him, never changed his expression. Neither did he fail in speech; his body did not faint, nor did his reason fail him, as often happens to men about to die.» He proclaimed, «Oh cross, most welcome and longed for, with a willing mind, joyful and desirous, I come to you, being a scholar of Him who hung on you. I have always been your lover and yearned to embrace you.»
That is what he uttered to the cross as they marched him toward his execution. It is magnificent that God gives us an opportunity to succeed in the very areas that once intimidated us and caused us to fail. When you reflect on the grace of God, it is amazing. So don’t be fearful; don’t be intimidated. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of a sound mind. In our next lesson, we’ll talk about a sound mind and how that empowers us to stand firm against fear.