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Welcome to Day 2161 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.\nThis is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom\nThe Gospel of John \u2013 29 \u2013 Overcoming Fear\xa0\u2013 Daily Wisdom\nPutnam Church Message \u2013 09/04/2022\nThe Gospel of John \u2013 Part 4 Confirmation of the Word \u2013 Overcoming Fear\nToday we continue our series, the Good News according to John the Apostle. Last we saw how Jesus gently consoled and encouraged the remaining eleven disciples, \u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled.\xa0You believe\xa0in God;\xa0believe also in me.\u201d\n\nToday we continue the lesson as Jesus teaches the disciples and us, that the way to overcome fear is to allow the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to fill us and bring peace to our hearts. Our scripture for today is John 14:25-31. Follow along as I read.\n\n\u201cAll this I have spoken while still with you.\xa0But the Advocate,\xa0the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,\xa0will teach you all things\xa0and will remind you of everything I have said to you.\xa0Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.\xa0I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled\xa0and do not be afraid.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou heard me say, \u2018I am going away and I am coming back to you.\u2019\xa0If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father,\xa0for the Father is greater than I.\xa0\xa0I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.\xa0\xa0I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world\xa0is coming. He has no hold over me,\xa0but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome now; let us leave.\u201d\n\nWhile fear is a primal response, it is entirely unnatural to humanity as God first created us. The first emotion recorded in the Bible is Genesis 2:25, \u201cNow the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.\u201d Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect intimacy with God and one another, uninhibited by sin or the shame it brings. The second emotion named explicitly in Scripture is fear. After trying to conceal his shame, Adam confessed that fear drove him into hiding when his Creator came to confront him in Genesis 3:10, \u201cHe replied, \u2018I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.\u2019\u201d Fear is a product of the Fall, and we have been trying to cope with it ever since. Fear of heights. Fear of crowds. Fear of being alone. Fear of open spaces. Fear of closed spaces. Fear of germs. Fear of death. I have even read about people having a fear of fear!\n\nFear can be debilitating. Fear strips the athlete of his prowess, drains creativity from the artist, muddies the leader\u2019s clarity, and drives the soldier deeper into his foxhole. I have seen people literally paralyzed with fear, unable to move a muscle in their grip. More commonly, fear keeps people from becoming everything God created them to be and prevents them from loving one another fully.\n\nJesus\u2019 announcement of His departure sent the disciples into an emotional tailspin. They couldn\u2019t imagine their future without Jesus, and the prospect of going on alone terrified them \u2026 and rightfully so! Likewise, I cannot imagine having to face life without Christ. But, those trembling eleven men needed courage, as we do today. So, Jesus confronted their fears with four...