Friday, April 20, 2012

FEAR DOWN, FAITH UP!



Fear is the natural human reaction of the unknown. 

In the natural we fear walking down a dark city street at 11pm, after going to an all-night Walgreens for some emergency orange juice or something. We fear driving to a big city for, say a visit to a medical specialist, at 7 am because the gridlock outside of Dallas/Fort Worth or the Twin Cities because it may be something you are not accustomed to.

We look at our sweet children and fear for their future. The politicians have saddled our grand kids and their children with so much debt and hopelessness that they face horrible financial burdens, from the minute they are born. Even worse, they are being told that while they may have "the freedom to worship", they dare not  exercise those timeless, God-given values outside of the church building.

We fear for our futures, our families and our faith. All of these fears are legitimate. Mothers of all ages know the stress and burdens of keeping families together while a shrinking number of responsible men trying to keep their heads above water.....you get the picture.

Due to the political expediency of 'divide and conquer' politics, one group lives in constant fear of the other.  In all the aforementioned, we can nothing uplifting about any of this. Therefore Fear HAS to be a factor of the god of this world. Fear has to be a facet of a life of little faith....and it is.

For our exhortation today, I won't be-labor the point with my own thoughts, but would let the Word of God speak for itself. You and I can kid ourselves and put on the cheap band-aid of pop psychology to soothe our shattered nerves over the pressures of living, or we can go for the Truth and let the true peace of God wash over us and guide us unto the path of rest in His arms.

Mark Twain once said "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Except a creature be part coward, it is not a compliment to say it is brave". But how do we get such courage? For one thing, it is not something easily acquired. It takes a lot of FAITH! Yes - it takes TRUST in the One Who gives and gives and gives and just asks for Love, Respect and Obedience in return!

If you were to see what He protected you from, day after day, you would fall on your face and bawl your eyes out. For those of us who make it to Heaven, because we have repented and been forgiven of our sins, by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we fear not the unknown, while having a Healthy Fear of God which the Bible demands.

Therefore, conquer your fears by just keying into these next few verses today and praying to the One who gave them, that we may rely totally on Him. It is only through this that we may come to rest secure in the Knowledge that He, literally, 'has our back'.

Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
(Proverbs 3:25-26 ESV)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
(1 John 4:18 ESV)

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD!
(Psalm 31:24 ESV)

There are so many more Scriptures I can provide here, but these three should start us off on a journey today, of beginning to tap into the Tree of Life, from the Giver of Life. It's like making maple syrup.  One gallon of sweet and delicious Maple Syrup comes only after you have tapped 40-50 gallons of sap from the maple tree! Yes...it takes 50 to make one! 

So it is with Faith. You see, it takes a lot of Faith and it does take some work, to produce a life that is so sweet and precious to both the Lord and those around you! Won't you consider this today and let the Lord have your fears? We have to constantly tap into the sap which flows from Him, His Word and His Son - Jesus Christ. Are you ready to jump in, head first? Pray with me:

Father in the Name of Jesus, I trust only in You, completely in You and surrender ALL to You. I love, adore, worship, bow down and say now, Father, that I am through trying to do this all myself in my pride and arrogance...I give all my cares, fears and tears to You and rely in the Healing Power of Christ, the Author and Perfecter of my Faith in You. I camp on these Scriptures above, from Your Holy Word and claim the Victory which was won at the Cross as mine only because Your Wonderful Son, the Lord Jesus, won it at the cost of His Life, for me.
It is in His Name I pray, amen and amen!


(Image by Google)

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