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Fear Not
In this powerful message, Pastor Mirek Hufton challenges believers to reject fear and embrace their God-given identity as people of faith. Drawing from Matthew 6, he reminds the church that God calls us to seek His kingdom first, trusting Him as a loving Father who provides for every need. Pastor Hufton explains that fear is not native to the born-again believer, it is foreign to our new nature in Christ. Using Hebrews 2:14, he shows how Jesus destroyed the devil's power to put fear on God's people, rendering him utterly impotent. The message is anchored by a memorable story of Lester Sumrall, who awoke to find demonic forces shaking his bed across the room. Rather than cowering, Sumrall commanded the devils to stop, and then boldly ordered them to put the bed back where they found it. They obeyed. That, Pastor Hufton says, is faith in action. Submit to God, resist the devil, and speak the Word boldly. Fear has no authority over those who know their inheritance in Christ.
Related Sermons
Small Group Guide
"Fear Not" — Small Group Discussion Guide
Based on the sermon by Pastor Mirek Hufton
1. SERMON RECAP
In this powerful message, I shared that fear is not part of our born-again nature — it is something the enemy tries to put on us from the outside. I walked us through how Jesus destroyed the devil's power to keep God's people in bondage to fear, and how the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus operates through faith, not fear. The great news is that because we are new creations in Christ, we are designed and equipped to live fearlessly by feeding on God's Word and speaking faith out of our mouths.
2. KEY SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV) "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
3. ICE BREAKER
What is something that used to frighten you as a child that no longer scares you today — and what changed?
4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Getting into the Word In the sermon, I said that fear is "foreign to your spirit man" once you are born again. How does that land with you personally? Does it change the way you think about fearful thoughts when they show up?
2. Digging Deeper Read 1 John 1:9 together. I talked about how sin and guilt create a "pushing away" feeling in our spirit that opens a door to fear. Have you ever noticed that connection in your own life — between guilt and a growing sense of fear or anxiety? What does this verse tell us we can do about it?
3. Faith vs. Fear I described two opposing spiritual laws — the law of sin and death, which operates through fear, and the law of the spirit of life, which operates through faith. In practical everyday life, what does it actually look like to choose faith over fear when a scary situation hits — a bad diagnosis, financial pressure, a difficult relationship?
4. Getting Honest Read James 4:7 together. I said that one of the greatest ways we resist the devil is by resisting fear itself. Why do you think it can be so hard to actually speak to fear and command it to go? What makes that feel awkward or difficult for some people?
5. Stories of Faith I shared those stories of Lester Sumrall and Smith Wigglesworth living with absolutely no fear in the face of demonic opposition. What strikes you most about those accounts? What would need to change in your own faith life to carry that kind of quiet, fearless confidence?
6. Bringing It Home I read from Isaiah 54:14 — "In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear." What does it mean to you personally that freedom from fear is connected to being established in righteousness? How does knowing who you are in Christ make a difference in the fears you face right now?
5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE
This week, identify one specific fear or worry that keeps coming back to your mind — whether it is about your health, finances, family, or the future. Write it down, then every day for seven days, speak these words out loud over it:
"Fear, I resist you in Jesus' name. I plead the blood of Jesus over my mind. God has not given me a spirit of fear. I choose faith. The Lord is my helper — I will not fear."
Keep a simple note in your phone or journal about what you notice shifting as the week goes on, and be ready to share what happened with your group next time.
6. PRAYER POINTS
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Pray for freedom from specific fears that group members are carrying right now — name them if people feel comfortable, and bring them openly before the Father who loves us.
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Pray for the Word to go deep — that the scriptures from this sermon would get rooted in every heart so deeply that when fear comes knocking, faith rises up automatically.
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Pray for boldness — that each person in this group would grow in the quiet, unshakeable confidence of knowing that Jesus has already destroyed the enemy's power, and that they can live and walk in that victory every single day.
7. MEMORY VERSE
1 John 5:4 (NKJV) "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith."
Thank you for leading your group this week. You are making a difference — keep going!
Daily Devotional
You Were Born to Be Fearless
1 John 5:4 — "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith."
I want you to hear this deep in your spirit today: fear is not your nature. When you were born again, you received the very DNA of God. Faith is what flows through your spiritual veins, not fear. Fear is foreign to who you truly are in Christ. It has to be pushed onto you from the outside — it doesn't belong to you. Think about Adam before the fall. He walked with God, named the animals, took dominion — all without a single trace of fear. That's the life Jesus bought back for you. You are the new creation. You are born of the Spirit. You are designed, right now, to overcome everything this world throws at you. So today, don't accept fear as yours. It was never yours to begin with. You belong to God, and faith is your inheritance.
Father, thank You that fear is not who I am in You. Help me walk today fully in the faith You placed inside me when I was born again. I receive my inheritance of fearlessness in Jesus' name, amen.
Confess It and Come Back Home
1 John 1:9 — "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I've learned this the hard way — when we step into sin, fear follows almost immediately. That's exactly what happened to Adam in the garden. The moment he sinned, fear came rushing in and pushed him away from God. The enemy understands this law perfectly. He knows that sin opens a door to fear, and fear opens a door to his control in your life. But here's the miracle of 1 John 1:9 — you don't have to stay separated. The moment you confess, the moment you turn back, God is right there to restore you completely. He doesn't make you wait. He doesn't make you earn your way back. He is faithful and just. That word "just" means it's legally settled. Jesus paid for your restoration. You can be back in full fellowship with your Father in an instant. Don't let shame keep you one second longer from running home.
Father, I confess the things I've allowed into my life that opened the door to fear. Thank You that You are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me completely. I come back to You right now, and I receive Your restoration in Jesus' name, amen.
Jesus Pulled the Sting Out
Hebrews 2:14 — "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil."
When I looked at the word "destroy" in my Greek New Testament for Hebrews 2:14, it stopped me in my tracks. It means to nullify, to render impotent, to render harmless. Jesus didn't just weaken the devil's grip — He pulled the sting right out of his bite. The enemy's greatest weapon has always been fear, and Jesus went straight to the source. He took on flesh, walked through death, and came out the other side having stripped fear of its power over you. That bad diagnosis, that financial pressure, that broken relationship — the devil wants to use all of it to put fear on you. But I'm telling you, the sting is gone. The power behind that fear has been legally broken through the cross. You don't have to bow to it. You don't have to live in it. Jesus already dealt with it so you wouldn't have to.
Jesus, thank You for taking on flesh just so You could break the devil's power over my life. I declare today that the sting of fear is gone because of what You did on the cross. I will not bow to fear in Jesus' mighty name, amen.
Resist It and It Has to Go
James 4:7 — "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
I love the story of Smith Wigglesworth waking up to the devil standing at his bedside after 30-something hours of ministry, looking over and saying, "It's only you," then rolling over and going back to sleep. That is what a life saturated in God looks like — so full of faith that fear simply cannot find a foothold. And I'll be honest with you, I want that for myself as much as I want it for you. James 4:7 gives us the pattern. First, submit to God. Get close to Him, stay in His word, keep yourself aligned with His presence. Then, from that place of submission, resist the devil. Not timidly, not quietly — resist him. Speak to fear. Command it to leave. Plead the blood of Jesus over your mind. Faith believes in the heart and speaks out of the mouth. When you resist from a submitted life, the Bible promises fear has to flee.
Father, I submit myself fully to You right now — my mind, my emotions, my future. From that place, I resist every spirit of fear assigned to my life, and I command it to flee in Jesus' name, amen.
Your Father Said Fear Not
Isaiah 41:10 — "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
God isn't saying "fear not" once as a gentle suggestion. He says it over and over throughout Scripture because He knows what we face every single day. Don't worry about what you'll eat. Don't worry about what you'll drink. Don't worry about what you'll wear. Seek first His kingdom and everything will be taken care of. That is the mind of a Father who loves you completely. I need this word as much as you do — I'm preaching it to myself too. Isaiah 41:10 is God speaking directly to you today. He's not watching from a distance. He is with you. He is your God. He will strengthen you. He will help you. He will hold you up with His victorious right hand. That's not poetry — that's a promise. As you close out this week, I want you to make a decision: you are going to live by faith, not by fear. That is who you are in Jesus Christ.
Father, thank You for saying "fear not" to me today. I receive Your strength, Your help, and Your hand holding me up. I choose faith over fear this week and every week in Jesus' name, amen.