AFRAID

. The state of being afraid is an emotion which all of us have
experienced at one time or another. It can manifest itself in many
ways to different people. What is this thing that can creep into our
life and take such complete control if left unchecked?

. There are two definitions which are related, yet quite different
in their applications. One is that on respectful awe and/or
reverence. This is the kind of fear referred to many times in
scripture when we are admonished to "fear God." This is a simple and
direct statement that we are to hold God in great respect. He is our
creator, our superior and is due all worship, adoration and praise.

. This definition of fear is different from the day to day usage of
the word. It involves amazement and wonder. It is a POSITIVE thing.

(I Peter 2:17) Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the king.

(Revelation 14:7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

(Revelation 19:5) And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great.

. Yes! There is trembling; there is a feeling of being scared when
we approach that infinite being which is so far beyond our limited
capacity to understand. But what hope is offered in that He will
remove all the false fears; He will make us joint heirs to all things;
He will, for those who seek Him, give the power to understand all
things. The reward is eternal joy, peace, and understanding.

(Isaiah 35:4) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear
not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a
recompense; he will come and save you. How wonderful that we need not
be afraid of the unknown. God will come and save us from the basal,
worldly traps. He will come with a vengeance and a recompense? Yes,
a vengeance for evil (not men) and His reward for those that fear Him
and not the things of the world.


. Now let us consider the other definition. This is the one that
involves feelings of agitation and anxiety whenever there is presence
or nearness of danger, evil, pain, sudden loss, etc. When we fall into
the grip of fear, it produces an unparalleled emptiness. Our direction
and purpose is lost until the fear is conquered; until we have restored
control of our emotions.

. Our first recorded example, in scripture, of fear is in Genesis.
Fear makes its entrance into the world as a consequence of sin. After
Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, "... the man and his
wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden
in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees
of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I
was naked; so I hid."(Genesis 3:8-10 NIV) As a result of sin, a brand
new emotion was born - anxiety - turmoil about what is to happen.

. Today there are many fears which we must face on a nearly daily
basis - our physical and mental health, our security in maintaining
ourselves and our families, fear of accident, on and on. Fears range
from personal, private matters to those of great worldwide social
consequence.

. There are times when fear is a healthy thing. There are things
that we should be afraid of for our own good - things that
realistically can harm us - standing in traffic, falling down stairs,
eating tainted food, touching a hot stove burner - these present a
real and present danger and to be unafraid of them is not only
unrealistic but stupid. A lack of fear in these situations is a
denial of being in the world, something we are advised to accept
during our temporary stay here, to be involved with living so that we
are the witness of the power of salvation. To exhibit a false lack of
fear of those things that can harm us is to be unrealistic in our
witness and to "tempt" God in trivial matters. Healthy fears protect
us. They are rational emotions that keep us from a self-destructive
path.

. Unhealthy fear produces mental states that allow fear to grow; to
envelope us completely - loss of ability to reason, depression, and
inaction, just to mention some. It's no wonder that the "Great
Deceiver" uses fear as one of his most effective tools. Right from the
Garden of Eden until the present, evil has been disguised to be
appealing to the temporal mind. When we succumb to the lure and become
aware of the deception fear takes over to sustain and widen the gulf
between the sin and the reality. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, THE
GREATEST DANGER OF FEAR IS THE POWER OF FEAR TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR
MINDS AND OUR ACTIONS.

. I attended a company meeting recently where we listened to a
motivational speaker discuss mankind's general failure to effect
changes in its conditions. Fear was labeled as the greatest culprit.
Even though the speaker was referring only to earthly things, he
presented fear as an acronym which has good application in our
discussion here:

. False
. Evidence
. Appearing
. Real

. Exactly what Satan would have us believe! He is the great
deceiver! The illusion of reality can separate us from all control of
a situation. A powerful, downward spiral is created. Once control is
lost, error (sin) can then procreate itself, spreading to other things
and other situations.

. Very early in scripture, God promised relief from fear for those
who trust him. Clear back to Abraham we find:

(Genesis 15:1) After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram
in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward.

. And a little later, to Isaac:

(Genesis 26:24) And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and
said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee,
and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's
sake.

. Some of our greatest promises of comfort come in the Psalms:

(Psalms 23:4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me.

(Psalms 27:1) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

(Psalms 27:3) Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall
not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be
confident.

(Psalms 31:13) For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every
side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take
away my life.

(Psalms 56:11) In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what
man can do unto me.

(Psalms 91:5) Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for
the arrow that flieth by day;

(Psalms 112:7) He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is
fixed, trusting in the LORD.

. And that familiar passage in Proverbs:

(Proverbs 3:24) When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea,
thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

. Faith is the answer to fear. It is not an excuse for ignoring
adversity and hiding from reality, it is the God-given power to meet
fear and prove the falsehood of the situation and to conquer its power
over us. We have that promise stated many times in the Bible. It
WORKS!

. In the New Testament something new is added. We were given
access to the third part of the Trinity - The Holy Spirit. Often
referred to as The Comforter, we now have the very real presence of
God to sustain us in every facet of life. This is the wonder of the
Trinity. It is the ultimate result of faith - constant assurance of
the promises of God.

. The old hymn states the current status as well as any I have
found:

Oh, spread the tidings 'round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o'er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!

Lo, the great King of Kings, with healing in his wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv'rance brings;
And thro' the vacant cells the song of triumph rings:
The Comforter has come!

O boundless Love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond'ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine -
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!

Sing, till the echoes fly above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above to all below reply,
In strains of endless love, the song that ne'er will die:
The Comforter has come!


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James,
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