FEAR...
There are so many things in this world that get my heart beating too fast, and my pulse throbbing, not to mention my imagination racing to the possible finish line of whatever is causing the... fear.
F false
E evidence
A appearing
R real
Isn't that true?
When it strikes our hearts, it feels so drastic, and we almost get swallowed up in the nameless, faceless scenarios and possibilities, especially if it's in the middle of the night.
Satan works overtime during the darkness... it's where he is the most comfortable, in the dark places of our minds, and during the night hours when everything bad seems worse!
Do you know how many scriptures speak against fear?
Lots!
Why did God include so many 'fear nots' in His Word?
Because he knows the way our minds work. He understands how quickly we become fearful. He understands that even when we don't WANT to be a victim of fear, many times we are.
He also knows that the answer to fear is faith. He goes to the bottom of the whole fear issue when he says to trust him with everything. All of it! Like my dad used to say, when he studied the word 'all'.
All he could find 'all' to mean is 'all'.
(It probably goes without saying, but the kind of fear I am talking about is totally apart from fearing God, which includes all the honor and respect that he is due because he is God, the awe and fear of God is in our hearts as his children.)
The fear of man, circumstances, finances, health, relationships and the whole bag of stuff that we deal with in our lives, that kind of fear is what traps us and trips us too often.
As the years have gone by, I find myself being more afraid of being fearful than daring to just plant my feet firmly and trust God. It's because the lessons learned from living with fear so many times have caused me to understand more quickly that fear is a black hole, and I don't want to be in that hole! It's for sure God doesn't want me to be there either! As I have held my ground in faith, I have learned new lessons and my faith has grown. Just like God knew it would. :)
It's a lifetime of learning, and re-learning... and it's back to the simple basics of what God says. Trust me with all of it!
The great lesson is always that he is faithful, every single time we dare to trust him.
Sometimes I still try to take a shortcut and figure it out myself, or wring my hands and sweat over things, but before long, I know... LET IT GO... TRUST GOD.
"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Tim.1:7
10 comments:
How true. Love the acronym. Thanks.
This is a great post and all soo true of course. I've wrestled with that particular problem my whole life, so you'd think I'd have it all figured out and beaten down by now. But there are still times when I realize I've let "it' back in. On the other hand there is such comfort in knowing that He is in control, and all I really have to do is trust knowing He has my very best at heart. Thanks for these reminders today!
Odd really how I keep going around that fear mountain again. Obviously, I have not yet learned the lesson. The human condition? I still like what an older, wiser friend told me once: "Even if what you are fearing does happen, it can only happen once. If you live with fear, it happens over and over again." I also like the verse in 1John that tells us that perfect love casts out fear. I only know One Who Himself is Perfect Love.
I think a lot of us struggle with fear at times and we just have to fight allowing it to have a foothold on us. Love that acronym!
We, as His children, know that He has not given us a spirit of fear. Through Him we have a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Praise God! We fight from a position of victory and not defeat, we resist the enemy, the one who brings the fear, and we are set free as we submit to our Lord God!
Hi, Sonja!
"All" means all; I like that! Your message is vital to us because these trembling times come and we have to remind ourselves our confidence is in God. Seems like just as I overcome some fear, another opportunity to learn deeper faith comes along...Have a great week ahead!
Yes, I also struggle with fear. And you're right, sometimes the fear of the feelings that fear causes inside of us is the worst part of it. I've read somewhere that only like 2 % of what we worry about ever comes true, and usually it's not as bad as we feared. What a mighty weapon the enemy wields against us in this area.
I like this verse:
"Only in this way could he [Jesus] set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." (Hebrews 2:15, NLT)
You know why I like it? Because it says we have been set free from the FEAR of dying. Yes, of course, we've also been spared from actual death. But I know that this verse also speaks to those of us who struggle in slavery to FEAR itself.
Thank the Lord, He sets the prisoners free!!
GOD BLESS!
I need to remember that. I am afraid of fear too.
Lovely post Sonja,
I have been repeating this scripture a lot lately. I don't want to walk in fear but in faith. Thanks for a timely word.
I hope all is okay over your way and the new house hunting is done. The market is soooooooooooo hot right now. Blessings...enjoy the sun this weekend!!
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