Thursday, November 1, 2018

What Makes You Afraid?


This life is full of opportunities to fear - something.  Arachnophobia – is the fear of spiders. Acrophobia – is the fear of heights. Agoraphobia – is the fear of leaving your house. Autophobia – is the fear of being alone. Scotophobia – is the fear of the dark. Anthropophobia – is the fear of being around people (being in crowds).  Nosemaphobia – is the fear of getting sick. Mysophobia – is the fear of germs.  Thanatophobia – is the fear of dying. I will stop there – you get the idea.  The list of fears is exhaustive. 

Fear can be debilitating – even make you physically sick - to cause you to do irrational things.  Fear is different from respect.  I know a stove is hot so I don’t touch it with my hand.  I am not afraid of the stove, but I respect it – understand the fact that it can harm me if I disregard the harmful effects of touching it when it is hot.  So when Jesus said do not be afraid – He was not saying “Go ahead and touch the stove.” He was speaking to the uncertainties – the “what if’s” in life.  He was speaking about letting faith in your heavenly Father be preeminent in your life.  Read these verses …  

Luke 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.” 

There is a greater reality than this mortal life that we have. 

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We have been sealed by the Spirit of God not a spirit of fear. That means that, as Christians,  we have the capacity to not be fearful.  It is a question of where we place our reliance – our ability to deal with what live brings or may being – or our Father in heaven.   Jesus said … 

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

He is the source of peace – not fearing.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says trust God – not yourself.  That is easy to say but not so easy to do.  Especially if you are not practicing the disciplines of the faith.  In the military – physical fitness is important.  The reason is that when you are tested in battle – the physical demands are incredible and if you have not prepared before you face them – you will not be able to stand. 

Joshua 1:9  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

God was reminding Joshua that Joshua was not alone in what God commanded him to do.  God was with him.  And God is with us as well. 

I realize that my writing this may not convince to not fear whatever it is that you fear. Logic rarely, if ever, wins over emotion. But faith – oh that is something else again. Let me leave you with what Jesus said about it. 

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

Trust God (1 Peter 5:7)  CHARLEY  

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