The Opposite of Fear

           If there is one thing in our world that is not in short supply, it is fear. This powerful emotion confronts every human being in different ways, at different times, and with different results. Whatever its cause in each person’s life, fear has the potential to paralyze or to energize. My cousin’s daughter recently posted the following saying on Facebook: “FEAR has two meanings: ‘Face Everything And Run’ or “Face Everything And Rise’ – the choice is yours.” I’m sure she has been challenged by fears of many kinds, because her first child was born with serious health problems and has been faced with many challenges since. Our lives have no guarantees, and many things can happen over which we have no control.

            I recently underwent a short period of fear in my life. Though it did not last long, it was intense. I could not focus or concentrate on anything else, I was distracted, I was afraid of what I knew and, quite frankly, terrified of what I did not know. I had encountered a situation that began to overwhelm me with worry about an uncounted number of unknown, negative possibilities. I could see no positive endpoints. Have you ever been overwhelmed by some future unknown or by something that you could not change, fix, or impact?

We live in a dangerous world: filled with murder rampages, tornadoes, wildfires, plane crashes… we could make a large list, couldn’t we? Along with all these “dangerous” circumstances is a media and worldwide communications system that pump up all the information and, in many ways, feed the fear. It causes us to think the world and the people in it are totally out of control and that, sooner or later, it’s going to “get” us. “Some way… some how… some day… some thing is going to happen to us! We won’t be able to stop it! We won’t be able to control it! We won’t be able to fix it! We won’t be able to do anything.”

            In a world where the potential for fear is great, what would you say our best response should be? Should we run and hide (flight)? Should we go on the offensive (fight)? Many in the world would suggest that courage is the opposite of fear. And there is a sense that that is true. But I don’t think it’s ultimately right. The true opposite of fear is faith. Fear attacks our trust in God. Fear seeks to convince us that God is not in control. It tries to persuade us that there is some unknown over which God has no jurisdiction. Here is the key question: If Jesus Christ is Lord, what have I to fear?

            In the deepest part of the fear that was attacking me, the Holy Spirit reminded me of these things: “Your fear is unnecessary in a universe where God is in control. The ‘unknown’ things you are worrying about are not unknown to God. Where is your faith? Do you really think that anything can happen apart from the Father’s will or away from His oversight?” This “conversation” I had in prayer was a critical turning point. There was so much comfort and encouragement in the Scripture – where so often the message from God is “Fear not, for I…”. And I realized, “That’s all I need to know.”

            This experience was important for me, because I am a preacher of the Word of God. Either the words are real – with real power – or I am a hypocrite – telling others things like “Don’t be afraid!” when I myself have not been changed and guided by those words myself. I’m very thankful for the reassuring ministry of the Holy Spirit in the middle of that dark place. When He applies the Word of God to our lives, it is powerful.

            While we may need courage in the days ahead, I pray most of all that God would give us faith, because that is the true answer to any fear – large or small – which may attack.

Psalm 23:4 (NIV) ⁴  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

John 14:27 (NIV) 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.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (KJV) ⁶  Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. ⁷  And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. ⁸  And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV) ³⁵  That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."
³⁶  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
³⁸  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" ³⁹  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰  He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" ⁴¹  They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

Psalm 56:3-4 (NIV) ³  When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ⁴  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

PRAYER:  Father, when I am afraid, lead me to trust in you. Increase my faith. Point me to your eternal Word where I can find assurance and confidence that you rule and reign, and that not even the smallest detail escapes your jurisdiction and oversight. Let me rest in you and may I not give fear a foothold. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott
  

Just Words?

           Sooner or later every Christian faces circumstances which call out the question, “Is what you believe just words… or is it real?” During the smooth times… the easy, trouble-free times… matters of faith seem to come a little easier. But when confronted by the crucible of grief, fear, and uncertainty, where does our faith go? The tests of life will “prove” us, like fire refines metal. When we started our study of James on Thursday nights, James “clobbered” us with these words… “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

            My first reaction to the trial of my faith is… “I don’t want this! I don’t want to have to deal with this now. I want to run away and hide from it. I don’t think I can take it.” My first reaction is fear, not joy. I can easily get caught up rehearsing over and over again in my mind every possible bad thing that can/might happen. This kind of fear can be paralyzing. And when you’re in the middle of it, you may ask… “Is what I believe just words, or is it real?”

            I thank the Lord that His Word is alive and powerful, and “sharp” enough to pierce and reach the deepest part of my need… that His Word is not “just” words, and they have power: power that I need. Here are a few Scriptures that are helpful to me. On the one hand they look like just words. But these are God’s words, a gift and encouragement to us from the Holy Spirit. They remind me of the reality of God’s love, grace, and mercy, and I can – and will – trust Him. He is my help and my salvation. May the Lord be your rock and fortress today, and may He lead you through to joy in your time of need.

Psalm 27:1 (NIV) ¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 46:1-5 (NIV) ¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ²  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³  though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah ⁴  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. ⁵  God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) ¹⁰  "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 30:5 (KJV) ⁵  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 56:3-4 (NIV) ³  When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ⁴  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) ⁸  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) ³  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) ²⁸  "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

PRAYER:  Father, I thank you that knowing you is about so much more than mere words. You stand behind every one of them. They have power and reality because of you. Please give your grace to all who need it today, and, in your time, bring them through to joy. Thank you that your everlasting arms are underneath me, strong enough to bear me through what I face today or what I may face tomorrow. I love you and I need you. Bless all who are in need today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Who Is This?

           Yesterday I was trying to help Joanne create a Facebook page, but was having a bit of difficulty. Basically in the sign-up process Facebook was telling me that Joanne Records was not a person (not a real name), and that I should create an account for a business. I don’t remember this happening when I signed up. We have to prove that Joanne is Joanne – a person and not a business. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but if so, I haven’t figured it out yet. Many years ago when we lived in New York State we received a phone call the day before Christmas one year. A man whose voice sounded like it was urgent asked if we were “open” – he needed to get a last minute Christmas present. Remember, this was back in the days when music was recorded onto vinyl record albums and sold in stores throughout the land. If you haven’t “gotten” it yet, the man mistakenly thought we were a record store named “Scott Records”. More recently, when I signed up for Facebook, I found a group that calls itself “Records really is my last name”. It never seemed all that obscure to me. But I have to find a way to prove that Joanne is, indeed, a person, although I’m pretty sure she already knows she is.

            One evening, after a long day of teaching and performing miracles, Jesus purposed to get into a boat with His disciples and get across the lake and find some peace and quiet. So much did He need it that Jesus fell asleep in the stern. Then a storm came up quickly – as it can on Galilee – and the disciples began to be afraid – to even fear for their lives. It must have been pretty bad weather, considering that at least some of them were seasoned fishermen. In their fear they woke Jesus and questioned whether He cared that they might die in the storm. What a question to ask Jesus, huh? – “Don’t you care…?” Fear leads us to say and do some pretty stupid things. Have you ever been tempted to question whether the Lord cares? We know it’s something we shouldn’t do, yet we can fall into just like the disciples.

            Jesus responds to them by standing and speaking to the storm. His authority was sufficient to cause the roiling elements to be at rest immediately. Then He wonders as to where there faith was in the face of fearful circumstances. Their response shows a new and different kind of fear – the kind someone feels in the direct presence of the holy and awesome God. And they ask, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him?” They were realizing that Jesus was much more than a mere man. The only logical answer to their question is: “Jesus Christ, the Son of God… the God-Man”. Could anyone less than that do what Jesus did? It was no parlor trick. The wind and the waves certainly knew who He was. They had no trouble hearing and obeying. Certainly that was a kind of proof as to the identity of Jesus. The answer to the question “Who is this?” was obvious.

            We do not have the advantage and opportunity to see Jesus at work face to face. But the Scriptures – and Jesus Himself – say we are blessed for our faith even when we have not seen. Praise God for this blessing.

John 1:10-13 (KJV) ¹⁰  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. ¹¹  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹²  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ¹³  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 20:27-31 (NIV) ²⁷  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." ²⁸  Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" ²⁹  Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." ³⁰  Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Matthew 16:15-16 (NIV) ¹⁵  "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" ¹⁶  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

PRAYER:  Father, I say that your son – Jesus Christ – is Messiah and Lord, Master and Savior. Increase my faith and let this truth sink deeply into the fiber of my being, so that in all of life my response to you will be one of trust and confidence. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Taking Inventory

           What’s on your list of wonders?

            I was asked this question yesterday and it caused me to stop and think, “My what? I don’t know that I really have a list of wonders.” And I don’t. At least not on paper anywhere that I know of. But actually I do. I think every Christian has one. I just haven’t taken time to “take inventory”. As a teenager I worked in a grocery store about the size of the Trenton Marketplace. At least once a year every employee had to show up to help with inventory. This involved “counting” every item in the store: from the shelves to everything in the stockroom. An inventory is “a detailed list of articles, goods, property, etc.” which helps the store owner to understand the value of what he has at any given time.

            Have you ever taken inventory of God’s wonders? This involves taking some time to make a list of the wondrous things in God’s world that you have personally observed. It also includes thinking about the wondrous things God has done for you in your own life. David took inventory of God’s wonders in Psalm 8: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth… When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” In 1885, Carl Boberg paraphrased these words into his hymn, O Store Gud (Our Great God), now known to us as How Great Thou Art. His lyrics include the phrase… “when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made…”

            To “consider” is to stop and take inventory.  It means to reflect on, contemplate, or ponder. What’s on your list of wonders? Don’t have one? Haven’t thought much about it? It’s not because the wonders aren’t there. You just need to take a little time to compose it. Doing this from time to time is a very healthy spiritual discipline. It grounds us. It brings God’s greatness and glory back into focus and re-orients our attitude of thanksgiving to its proper place.

            How do you take inventory of God’s wonders? You can write a list on a piece of paper. You can take turns speaking them around the family dinner table. You can take and save photos of them on your phone or computer. You can meditate on them in a season of prayer. You can play a game with your kids (“Let’s go through the alphabet thinking of words that describe God’s wonders A to Z…”). You can make list of blessings (one for each of the last __ years, months, weeks, days, etc.) God has given you by His grace. You can… be quite creative and come up with other ways. I am going to try to remember to add a page on our church website that we can call “Our List of Wonders” and anyone (especially our own church folks) can submit additions to the list any time. I envision the list will just keep growing and growing, and become a source of encouragement, inspiration, and worship for anyone who checks it out.

            One thing these ideas have in common is that they involve taking some time. Taking inventory – making a list – of wonders takes time. A busy life too often keeps us from making or revisiting such a list as often as we could. But if we are on the lookout, God will easily add new wonders of who He is and what He is doing to our lists (our lives) every day. The hymn, Count Your Blessings, by Johnson Oatman, was first published in 1897. The well-known words call out to us to… “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” Surprise may be one response. But I believe worship is one of the main things a list like this will elicit in our lives. And it is never out of place to worship God, for He is worthy.

            What’s on your list of wonders? Don’t have one? All it takes is one thing to start the list. You will be amazed at how quickly it will grow.
 

Psalm 40:5 (NIV) ⁵  Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40:5 (NLT) ⁵  O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

Psalm 66:16 (NIV) ¹⁶  Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) ²⁰  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

PRAYER:  Father, lead me to encounter and appreciate the many wonders you have performed. Lead me away from a shallow life, lived in ignorance of all that you are and all you have done. What a tragedy it would be for me to miss these things. Open up my heart to fully enjoy these things, and to love you all the more for them. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott